


The Four Heavenly Treasures

by lRinna



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Intrigue, Politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-06-19 05:56:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 46,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15503787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lRinna/pseuds/lRinna
Summary: Princess Sakura of the Land of Fire is offered in a political alliance to the Land of Wind, in order to strengthen relationships to help survive the incoming war, that threatens to ravage the land. There she meets Gaara, leader of Wind and one of the champions of the Four Heavenly Treasures. With rumors of a dark cult, a bloodthirsty Uchiha in the South and mysterious leaders in the North, tensions fly high as the young generation takes charge.





	1. A Sheltered Princess

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at a fully original alternative universe, vaguely inspired by Legend of Zelda and other works of fiction. I have not yet written all chapters of this story, so updates might be irregular, but I have a clear mind on where I want to go with the world and the characters. I see Sakura and the other Genin as 20 year olds, with Kankurou and Temari being 23 and 25 and the Akatsuki of varying age, but a little older. Please have fun reading and any feedback is most welcome!

When the world was created by the Goddess, she made everyone equal. It is said that all humans lived together in peace and the Goddess walked among them. There were no borders and the land belonged to everyone. This was known as the Golden Era, where there was no death, sickness or famine. However one day evil reached this peaceful realm, in the form of the Dark Dragon, who threatened to consume the world, plunging the realm into a never-ending night. The Goddess used her power to create Four Heavenly Treasures, which she gave to four champions, so they could fight the Dragon. After a long battle, these heroes managed to subdue the Evil Lizard, and the Goddess used the last of her strength to seal him away.

However, the harm had already been done, and humans had already been corrupted by evil. The once united and peaceful land was now ravaged by war. The four heroes, using the power of the Heavenly Treasures split the land into four, and peace was finally achieved, with each country uniting under their hero. 

The Mountains of the North, famed for their harsh weather were united under the Land of Rain. The forests of the West, famed for their fertile lands prospered under the Land of Fire. The harsh deserts of the East became the Land of Wind. And lastly the plains of South belonged to the Land of Sound. Under the leadership of the four legendary heroes, the four countries swore to remain in peace, for each country had a Heavenly Treasure to protect them. Once the heroes eventually passed away, a threat of war loomed, but each Treasure chose another warrior, and those warriors inherited the leadership of their country.

This cycle remained in place for 500 years, but the peaceful life would not last long. Rumors of acolytes of the Dark Dragon fly around the world, and tensions fly high, for a plague had swept the land, killing the wizened wielders of the Sacred Weapons, leaving a younger, inexperienced generation in charge. 

* * *

 

“Sakura! Where are you? Your brother is looking for you!”

A blonde woman with a high ponytail walked among the halls of the Konoha palace, searching for the princess. Sakura was the only sister of Naruto, the current wielder of the Emerald Axe, and leader of the Land of Fire. She had spent most of her life hidden within the palace, due to the over-zealousness of her parents. Her beauty was legendary, known to match the flowers she was named after, down to the unusual pink of her hair. Said princess was now hiding from her maid, the blonde woman named Ino. She was concealed in the library, knowing that place was usually deserted, especially from her brother, who had never been fond of books.

“Sakura-hime, you really should stop hiding like this.” A silver-haired man smiled at the princess that was crouched behind a bookshelf, face hidden inside a book. He had been the one to look after the two siblings once they lost their parents in the plague. He had mentored Naruto the most, knowing that as the future leader, he would require additional attention. However he had always liked Sakura most, being fond of her sharp wit and charming smile.

“Just let me finish this chapter before you turn me in, Kakashi-sensei.” The woman grumbled, flipping another page over, eyes drinking the words greedily. The older male sighed, knowing he was about to upset his prized pupil.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that today. It’s a matter of certain urgency after all.” 

Sakura pried her eyes away from the book to glance at the man she had grown to love as a father. His tone was serious, betraying the small smile on his face. She wondered about what sort of urgent affair could affect her. She wasn’t allowed to participate in any sort of serious politics, for her brother took great care to protect her from the world.

“What’s going on?” She asked, curious.

“I’m afraid I cannot say. You’ll have to listen to it from Naruto.” 

The two of them left the library and began to head to the throne room, Sakura following her mentor willingly, curiosity taking over the desire to read her book. The two walked in silence, passing several guards and servants, all who looked stressed. Sakura did not miss this detail, and started to imagine what must have happened to cause the palace to be in such a uproar. They approached the heavy oaken doors that led to the throne room and Kakashi opened them without knocking. Sakura hesitated before following him, noticing that the guards were in full armor. Once she entered, she noticed the room was empty, except for her brother, who sat in the roots of the large cherry tree that grew inside the room, serving as the Throne of Konoha, village hidden in the leaves.

Sakura took small measured steps, and stopped a respectful distance away, knowing her place as princess. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the large Axe that rested next to Naruto. She had always admired it, for it was not only large enough that it could easily decapitate a large horse, but for the mysterious metal of its blade, glinting green under the sun that shone through the leaves of the tree.

“Sakura.” Naruto’s somber voice drew her attention to him, and she barely recognized her brother. He was usually warm and cheerful, but today he was somber, a heavy frown on his forehead.

“You summoned me, brother?” Sakura curtsied politely in response, feeling that he would not appreciate their usual antics.

“I have some troubling news for you. Sound and Rain have recently entered an alliance. Our scouts have reported their alliance is not the simple trade treaties. I am afraid war might happen soon, and in order to prepare for it, I have invited the leaders of Wind, in order to make an alliance of our own. They will be arriving tomorrow, and I need you to be ready to fulfill your duties.” Naruto’s words made Sakura worried. War had never happened in the past 500 years. She knew that the last time it almost destroyed the realm, and if her brother was that serious about it, there was a real possibility that the ancient treaty of peace would be broken. 

“I will do whatever is needed of me.” Sakura bowed deeply. One of the most important things her mother had drilled into her was that as a royal, her duty was not to herself, but to her people. Sakura existed first to be a princess, and only second as a person.

“Thank you. For now, please be prepared to receive the Wind delegation when they arrive tomorrow.” Naruto sighed, hating himself for having to ask his sister to do something he knew she disliked. He dismissed her, staying alone with Kakashi, to discuss what was to come the following day.

After leaving the throne room, Sakura returned to her room, where she found Ino waiting for her with a sad look. Sakura didn’t say anything as her maid started to prepare a bath for her, filled with all manners of scented oils. Sakura allowed Ino to go through all the steps necessary to prepare her for the following day, where Sakura would need to perform her role as the perfect princess. That night, Sakura’s dreams were plagued by a darkness she did not understand and a cold laugh. She was roused early, in order to go through the lengthy ritual of styling her long hair and dressing her in the fancy dresses reserved for special occasions. Ino chose a green to match her eyes, and filled her bare arms with several golden adornments, that tinkled when Sakura moved. At noon, a knock sounded in her room, a familiar voice requesting her presence.

Sakura exited her chambers to meet her personal guard, Shikamaru. He smiled when he saw her, and together they walked towards the Throne Room.

“What a troublesome day… Because you’ll be with the Hokage, I’m technically free of my duties, but I have to be present anyways…” Shikamaru complained, and Sakura smiled. Her personal guard was the smartest man she knew, but he was cursed with an immense laziness, and frequently chose to hide his superior intellect in order to remain with the easy duty of guarding the princess. 

“At least all you have to do is stand by the wall and pretend you’re not there. I’m supposed to entertain whatever old farts the Land of Wind sent our way.” Sakura rolled her eyes. She hated diplomatic meetings the most. They were frequently filled with leering men that had no interest in her words, and only wanted her to smile and listen. 

“I caught a glimpse of the delegation earlier, they are only four young people.” Shikamaru commented. Sakura’s eyebrows raised in surprise, for that was very unusual. Usually delegations came with a large party, filled with different lords and ladies that thought themselves way more important than they were. The two arrived at the throne room and one of the guards posted at the door opened it, announcing loudly:

“Sakura-hime!”

Sakura took a breath she knew to be polite and to build suspense, before gently walking inside, making sure to keep her posture straight and head tall, not looking at anybody but her brother. She made a straight line towards the throne, passing by the familiar members of her brother’s council and the unfamiliar members of the Wind delegation, until she stopped in front of her brother, performing a deep curtsy. He nodded at her and she turned, taking her spot just below the throne. 

“Gentlemen, and Lady, my sister, Sakura.” Naruto introduced her. She glanced at the Wind’s delegates and was surprised to see a woman among them. The woman had sandy hair and sharp blue eyes. She was dressed in light robes, a style unlike anything Sakura had ever seen. She stared back at Sakura, who blushed and averted her eyes, embarrassed at being caught looking. 

“It is a pleasure to finally lay eyes upon the beautiful princess of Fire. The tales surrounding you do you no justice. I am Temari, this is my younger brother Kankuro, my youngest brother Gaara, and his assistant, Sai.” The woman spoke, and Sakura looked at the three men in front of her. Kankuro was tall, with brown hair and black eyes. His expression was serious yet kind. The one named Sai was the tallest of the three, with remarkably pale skin, dark hair and a smile that brought a chill to Sakura. The shortest one, Gaara had bright red hair and jade eyes. Although he was the shortest, his presence was strongest, and Sakura could tell that he was the leader of the group. She bowed towards them politely.

“We shall discuss politics later, but for now I request that you partake in a meal with us, as a sign of our hospitality.” Naruto motioned towards the table by the side, already filled with a generous spread of Konoha’s best food. Naruto offered the woman named Temari his arm as he walked towards the table, and Sakura found Kankuro offering her his own. She took it, following her brother’s example, but she did not sit next to the man, instead taking her place at her brother’s right. Temari was taking the seat in front of her, sitting towards Gaara’s right. Sakura smiled at the other woman, who smiled in return, although she looked even more uncomfortable than Sakura did.

Knowing what her brother wanted from her, Sakura made sure to engage in polite conversation with all the delegates, making sure to smile and charm. She asked Sai about the flowers, talked to Kankurou about the weather, and by the time she talked to Temari about fashion, everyone looked much more at ease, except for Gaara, who still had the same serious look. Once she had finished with Temari, Sakura turned to Gaara, racking her brain trying to find topics, but she could not find anything. 

“So Gaara, what do you think of Sakura? Isn’t she beautiful?” Naruto addressed the somber male in front of him with a smile, and Sakura looked at him suspiciously. That was very unlike him. The red-haired man turned to look at her and Sakura smiled at him brightly. His eyes were hard and his expression didn’t change.

“I suppose so.”

His answer upset her, who wasn’t used to someone not praising her, but Naruto laughed, and Sakura was forced to accompany him, even though internally she wanted to stab the man. The meal continued in the same manner, with contrived small talk, but eventually it was over. As soon as Naruto got up, and motioned for them to follow him to the room where he usually conducted his council meetings, Sakura remained behind, knowing that she was never invited. However, before they all left the room, Temari stopped and looked behind.

“What about Sakura-hime? Won’t she participate in our talks?” Temari asked. The members of Naruto’s council looked at the woman with surprise.

“Women don’t participate in council meetings.” Hiashi Hyuuga, one of the older members of the council stated in a haughty tone. The change in the Wind delegation was immediate. Temari narrowed her eyes and was about to say something when Kakashi defused the situation.

“However, due to circumstances, we’d be happy to allow you Temari-sama…” Temari glanced at Sakura and Kakashi smiled “and Sakura-hime to participate.”

Because of that, Sakura found herself sitting next to her brother on the round table of the council. It was the first time she had been in that room, and she was thankful that Temari’s influence had placed her there. She listened to Naruto detail the information gathered from Sound and Rain, and how they had spotted Sound soldiers near the border of Fire. Kankuro mentioned there were also Sound soldiers near their borders, but none from Rain. Both sides talked about trade and goods. Sakura noticed that Gaara hadn’t yet said anything, simply listening with arms crossed. Eventually he cleared his throat and everyone went silent.

“If Sound and Rain are in an alliance, we need to make our own alliance, if only to serve as a deterrent. A trade agreement will be too weak to stop them, and if we make any sort of army show, they may take that as an excuse to attack.” Gaara had effectively summarized what both parties had been skirting around the past hour. Sakura thought about his words and remembered something she had read in a book.

“A marriage alliance.” The words escaped her mouth before she could stop herself and all the eyes turned to her. Sakura blushed. 

“That would make sense. A marriage would show that we are united, and it also serves as a more concrete show of good faith.” Temari nodded, looking at her brothers, who also seemed to agree with her. Gaara was staring straight at Sakura, who averted her eyes downwards. Besides her, Naruto sighed.

“I was afraid it would come to this… My sister is young and of marrying age, I am willing to offer her in marriage, to one of the members of your royal family. In exchange for a permanent alliance.” Naruto stated, looking directly at Gaara. Sakura closed her eyes. She should have seen this coming as well, knowing that it was the eventual fate that princesses were eventually married off for the benefit of the country.

“We agree to your terms. We can sort the details of the agreement later, for it looks like the princess needs aid.” Gaara sealed Sakura’s fate and she fainted.


	2. A Wedded Princess

Sakura was not invited to the subsequent council meetings, so she was not participating in the details of her marriage to a man from Wind. She wasn’t sure if she was happy about not having to talk about her arranged marriage or upset over her lack of freedom. Her sole companions were Shikamaru and Ino, who tried their best to cheer up the princess. The delegation left after only a few days, and Sakura almost hoped it meant that the deal had fallen through, but the day after their departure, Naruto found Sakura in the library. His presence there was completely unusual and signaled that the deal had in fact happened.

“I’m sorry for this, but it was necessary…” He said, after explaining to her the details of her arranged marriage to one of the sons of the previous Kazekage.

Sakura tried not to be upset at her brother, but it was a futile attempt.

“Duty over all, just like mother used to say, right?” She couldn’t keep the scorn from her tone, showing her displeasure with the entire situation. Naruto sighed.

“The wedding will be held in Sunagakure, the capital of Wind one month from now. I’ve asked Kakashi to help you prepare in any way you need. You’re also free to purchase whatever you may want from Konoha, since I do not know when you’ll have a chance to visit.”

Sakura watched her brother leave with a bitter taste in her mouth. She knew Naruto cared for her, and that the responsibility of leading a nation weighed heavily on him, but she missed the kind brother that he used to be.

Sakura spent her last month in Konoha preparing for her new life in Suna as much as possible. She asked Kakashi to find her books on the Land of Wind and their customs, tried to find a seamstress that would make her dresses that would be adequate to the land and even tried to get lessons from the kitchen staff. She begged Naruto to allow her to take Ino and Shikamaru with her, and the month passed so fast that Sakura soon found herself atop a horse, in a small caravan headed towards Suna.

The only people from Konoha attending her wedding were Naruto, Kakashi, Ino and Shikamaru. The group of five traveled under the disguise of a small trading caravan, to avoid suspicion and any potential attacks. As soon as they crossed into Wind country, they were met by the same pale young man that they had met in Konoha, the one named Sai. The sun was harsh atop them, and Sakura was glad that she had chosen to wear light fabrics and colors, completely covering her skin. Naruto hadn’t been as wise, and was quickly tanned. They arrived in Suna a few days after, and Sakura already hated the arid land, missing the fresh breeze and constant shade of Konoha.

Their arrival was met without any fanfare, and they walked through the busy streets of Suna, blending in the crowd. Sakura noticed that Suna looked much more alive than Konoha, with shops and stalls everywhere, and people haggling for prices and announcing all manners of wares. Everyone dressed in similar style to that which she had read in books, women wearing sari and men wearing tunics, all fully covered and light fabrics, to protect from the harsh rays of the sun. Many of them seemed to have a darker tone of skin than the people from Konoha, as if they were born tanned. Sai led them to a tall circular building at the center of the town, which he claimed was the Kazekage’s tower. It was made of pure stone, and Sakura was amazed at the marble pillars that adorned the entrance. Guards were stationed by those pillars, and Sakura saw that they were mostly clad in leather and cloth, different from the armor and mail the Konoha guards wore.

As soon as they were inside, Sakura noticed that it was surprisingly cool. There were several windows of glass, of different colors making several drawings and patterns. Sai led them to a large room, that had one of those glass murals. Sakura approached it to take a closer look and noticed that it depicted the story of the world, with the Goddess, the four heroes and the four Legendary Weapons. She saw Naruto’s green axe, a red bow, a blue lance and a black sword. In that picture there were more than just the one Dark Dragon, in fact it looked like there were five dragons in total, and it showed each hero fighting one dragon, with the Goddess facing the main evil herself. Sakura wondered if it was a creative choice, or if in Suna, the tales of the past were different than the ones in Konoha.

The sound of the door opening drew Sakura’s attention. Temari and Gaara joined them in the room, and Sakura was shocked at how different both of them looked. Temari’s hair was up in four ponytails, her garments similar to those of men, a long tunic, pants and boots. Gaara was garbed in a fully red vest, a deep maroon that matched his hair.

“Welcome to Suna! I’m glad you were able to arrive safely. We’ve heard tales of thieves around our borders so we were slightly worried.” Temari greeted them with a smile.

“We had no problems.” Kakashi smiled back. Naruto nodded and Sakura bowed respectfully.

“The wedding will take place in two days. Sakura-hime, if you could take your maid and follow me, I have to take you to your dressmaker. It’s been mostly prepared, but some final adjustments are needed.” Temari motioned for Sakura, who looked at Naruto, asking for permission. He nodded and Sakura walked to Temari, with Ino and Shikamaru in tow. They left the building and started heading North. Sakura was surprised they would be walking there without any fanfare, but the crowd didn’t seem to care that Temari was walking among them. The woman in question turned to Shikamaru with a curious eye.

“I saw you before. Why are you following us?” She asked him.

“I am Sakura-hime’s personal guard. It is my duty to keep her safe at all times.” He answered. Temari nodded. She was aware that Sakura had requested to maintain her personal guard and once again wondered if the princess had no combat experience.

Temari led them to a small shop on the Northern end of the city, and Sakura was surprised that Suna’s dressmaker had such a humble shop. However, she recalled reading that Suna didn’t favor fancy dresses, choosing to go for practicality and protection from the sun, so she could see why the dressmaker probably wouldn’t have a large clientele.

Sakura’s dress was a pure white, made of a material called silk. Temari explained that silk was native to their region. It was super thin and light, allowing for both protection and freshness. The dress was much more revealing than Sakura was used to, the almost sheer fabric barely concealing her features. Temari watched Ino and the dressmaker fret over Sakura, making adjustments left and right.

“I hope you’re okay with this, Sakura. Can I call you Sakura? You’re marrying my brother, so I feel that we should be able to address each other without the honorifics. I know it will be difficult, since our styles of life are quite different, but Gaara and I have taken steps to make you as comfortable as we can.”

Sakura was thankful that Temari seemed interested in befriending her. She had read that Suna’s people were known for being very loyal, and Sakura would do her best to fit in.

“Yes, I am happy to be able to help my people, and I hope to be able to serve Suna the same way I have served Konoha.” Sakura smiled at the older woman.

Their conversation was interrupted by Ino, requesting that Sakura turn around.

From the dressmaker, they went to the shoemaker, and from there, Temari took Sakura back to the tower, to pick what jewelry she would use. Sakura was shocked at all the rubies, emeralds and golds that were part of Suna’s treasury. It was an exhausted Sakura that retired to her room that night. She fell asleep immediately, lulled by the wind outside. The following day was as rushed as the previous one, with an elder named Chiyo trying her best to impart on Sakura what she would need to do on the ceremony and what she was supposed to say. Sakura spent almost the entire day rehearsing.

“Shouldn’t my future husband be here, practicing as well?” Sakura complained at one point, gaining a chuckle from the elder.

“The Kazekage will do as he wants. That boy is so stubborn.”

It was then that Sakura realized that she wasn’t aware that she was marrying the Kazekage, the leader of Wind, the supposed inheritor of the Bow of Legend. Sakura realized that neither Naruto nor Kakashi had told her she was about to essentially become a Queen. A wave of panic started to fill Sakura, causing her breath to catch in her throat. Chiyo immediately noticed the girl’s plight and ran to her. Shikamaru also joined them, and more experienced with Sakura, took her hands and instructed her to start counting backwards from 100. At around 80, Sakura was back to normal.

“I apologize, I was just struck with a sudden fear…” Sakura blushed with shame. The old lady hugged her kindly, shocking the young girl.

“It’s okay. You’ve been behaving remarkably well, girl. Nobody could fault you for a sudden bout of nerves.”

They took an extended break after that, and Sakura was left to wonder about the terrible mess she had gotten herself into. She had expected to marry a brother of the Kazekage, not the man himself. That night, she cried herself to sleep.

The morning of the wedding Sakura was awoken by Ino, who entered carrying ice.

“I thought you might have cried last night, and your eyes would be puffy, so I brought this for you.” Ino gently placed a cold cloth atop Sakura’s eyes, and the princess was reminded of how much she loved her maid.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Ino.” Sakura sighed.

“You’d be a sorry excuse for a princess, that’s what!” Ino laughed.

The wedding would take place at sundown, but Sakura started to prepare herself way earlier than that. Temari eventually showed up with a hairdresser intent on making the most elaborate arrangement ever. The woman marveled at Sakura’s long pink tresses, and when she was finished, Sakura’s hair had become a flower atop her head. The white dress and the strappy heels were next, leaving the gold and jewels for last. When Sakura looked herself in the mirror when she was done getting dressed, she looked like an exotic princess of legend, the type she read about in books.

“I’ll see you downstairs. Good luck!” Temari left as soon as Sakura was sitting for the makeup. Ino painted her in demure colors, to emphasize her virginity. The sun was low in the sky when Naruto showed up, to collect her.

“You look spectacular.”

“Thank you.”

As they walked the stairs to the bottom of the tower, where the wedding would be held, they were silent. Halfway through, Naruto stopped.

“If you want to run away now, make a life someplace no one knows you, I… I’ll look away now.” He said, tears in his eyes. Sakura had to blink hard, to prevent her own tears from falling, as to not ruin Ino’s careful work.

“I can’t do that. I can’t disappoint everyone.” Sakura smiled at her brother, forgiving him for his role in this situation. It wasn't in Sakura’s nature to hold grudges and she only wished she had found more time with him before now. He returned a sad smile to her, and together they resumed their path downwards. Once they arrived, Temari handed Sakura a single red flower. She smiled and signaled to the guards they were ready. The guards opened the door and Sakura gulped.

The floor was filled with all manner of people, and below a large glass mural was Gaara, waiting for her by the altar. Sakura was shocked to see him there. She had thought Kankuro, the elder brother to be the Kazekage, not the youngest one. Suddenly she regretted not taking Naruto’s offer. She didn’t know she would be able to handle that serious man, who even on his wedding day looked just as straight-faced as he had a day ago. Naruto and Sakura followed Temari down the aisle, and upon reaching the altar, Naruto handed Sakura off to Gaara, who offered her his arm. She took it and together they faced the priest who would wed them. He made some speech about uniting two souls under the Goddess and a sacred vow. He placed a cup in front of them, Sakura picked it up and offered it to Gaara, according to what Chiyo had taught her. Instead of offering the cup to her, he took a veil handed to him by his brother and covered her with it. The priest then had them hold hands, took some holy water and sprinkled it on them. He finally had both Sakura and Gaara prickle their thumbs and place a bloody fingerprint on a sacred book, next to their names. They were officially married, and Sakura felt sick.

The crowd cheered and rice was thrown at them, as Gaara led them to a large room similar to Konoha’s Throne Room. There, instead of a tree, were two chairs made of a black rock Sakura recognized as granite. He led her to one of them and took the other. As soon as they were seated, the room began to fill up with the people present at the wedding, everyone taking plates of food and eating standing, mingling. Sakura was completely shocked. Not only was she sitting at the same level as the Kazekage, but there seemed to be no distinction between classes. She saw a haggard-looking man talking to her brother, and a woman covered in jewelry talking to Shikamaru, who looked scared.

“Are all parties like this in Suna?” She asked her new husband, who turned to look at her and nodded. He remained in silence for longer and Sakura suppressed a sigh.

"Other than the Kazekage and the Kazehime, everyone else is considered the same. We don’t have a strict hierarchical system outside the army.” Gaara elaborated on his reply to Sakura, startling her. She looked at him and found him looking at the crowd. She directed her attention back to the crowd and realized that it must have been pretty lonely for him to have to be apart from everyone else.

“It’s nice. In Konoha people are seated based by rank, and you’re pretty much stuck talking to your neighbors. This can be awful…” Sakura started telling him anecdotes from several times she had been sat next to awful people. She wasn’t looking at him, instead paying attention to the crowd, so she didn’t notice how he was listening to her intently, gazing at her as she spoke. The party went deep into the night, and Sakura was pretty tired. She eventually failed to hide a yawn, and as soon as it came out, Gaara stood. Silence began to fill the room as everyone looked at him. He turned to Sakura, offering his hand. She took it and he pulled her up.

“Please, continue.”

The party-goers resumed their activities, but Gaara led them out of the room, taking them upstairs. They went higher than Sakura had been to, almost to the topmost floor. Temari had already explained to her that Gaara would lead her to the floor reserved for the Kazekage and the Kazehime, so she wasn’t surprised. What scared Sakura was the prospect of the wedding night for she knew what would be expected of her. Gaara led her to a spacious room, that had a large vanity and an even larger closet. The bed was also very wide, with white sheets.

“This is your room. That door leads to my room. It is unlocked, if you need anything, you can either ask me or call for a servant using that.” Gaara pointed to the door and the bell. He then gave her a short bow and left using the aforementioned door, leaving a surprised Sakura. She took a few minutes before knocking on the door leading to his room.

“Yes?”

She cautiously opened the door and peeked inside. The room was similar to her own, but instead of a vanity there was a table with a large pile of papers. He was seated at that table.

“I just… I know that I have to perform certain duties as a… wife… And I was wondering if you…” Sakura blushed and couldn’t finish her sentence. He sighed.

“I do not plan on forcing you to do something you’re uncomfortable with. We’re wedded yes, but we’re not lovers.” He replied to her, turning away from her. She couldn’t see his face, but felt relieved.

“Thank you.”

He nodded and Sakura returned to her room. She called Ino to help her get undressed and she laid on her bed, thinking about her new husband.

_Perhaps he’s not bad at all..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we have the wedding of the century! For those wondering, a Sari is a traditional Indian garment worn by wedded women. I see Wind with a sort of Indo-Arabic feel, with open markets filled with people and buildings filled with glass panels and domes, all airy and made of stone, old Constantinople style. Thank you all for reading and see you all next chapter!


	3. A New Princess

Sakura knew that she would have to deal with the shock of a completely new and different culture from the one she grew up in. What she didn’t know is how completely different Suna was.

Chiyo had been in charge of training Sakura for her new job as a Kazehime. And Sakura was surprised at how much of a job it was. In Konoha, the wife of the Hokage was essentially a glorified decoration. All she had to do was look pretty and sire future heirs. In Suna, the Kazehime was supposed to show up to public events, talk to the people, participate in council meetings, and lead the country alongside the Kazekage. Chiyo taught Sakura politics in the morning, from history to current farming methods. In the afternoon, the two went over some of the paperwork meant for both her and Gaara, reports, signatures and claims. Sakura knew that she was currently only dealing with minor things, but Chiyo had already warned her that in the future she would be expected to deal with serious matters, such as military reports and international trade agreements.

“The Kazehime serves as the Kazekage’s most trusted advisor. She’s the first one he’s supposed to consult.” Chiyo once told her.

Once a week Sakura would make a public appearance. From the market, to orphanages, she visited and met all sort of people. Most of Wind’s inhabitants were nomadic in nature, never staying somewhere for long. There were settlements around several different oasis, and it was not uncommon for families to migrate between them based on the time of the year. Suna was the biggest trading post and military center, so most people who lived in Suna were merchants and soldiers.

Temari was the one that started training Sakura in basic self-defense. Twice a week the young woman would drill Sakura, to not only improve her physical form but also her techniques. Shikamaru would often join in to help, offering his own pieces of advice and often serving as a mock attacker. It was in these sessions that Sakura found out that Temari was actually one of the Generals of the Army, and would lead full squads into battle, should the need come. 

The council met once per week, and she would often spend most of her time listening. She knew she was still ignorant and preferred to remain in silence than to say something stupid. Gaara would also listen quietly, but she quickly learned that it was simply his style. He would listen to everything and make judgement based on that. Sakura had agreed with all of his decisions, for she found them to be generally pragmatic and just.

In this fashion Sakura spent her first two months too busy to really think about her duties as a wife, mainly only seeing her husband during council meetings. She knew that he tended to have a late dinner by himself in his room, and that he had lunch at his office. Unlike Naruto who tended to conduct most of his business in the throne room, Gaara would almost never be there. Sakura had her lunches with Chiyo and dinner with Temari and Kankuro and she had grown to really enjoy their company. Temari was sharp and blunt, not afraid to say things that might upset Sakura. But she enjoyed Temari’s brand of honesty, and the two of them became fast friends. Kankuro enjoyed joking and he talked a lot, generally gossiping about all manner of people. Sakura was happy to consider them both family. 

After the two months, Chiyo considered Sakura to be ready to fully assume her duties and returned to the settlement she was from. Temari left the remainder of Sakura’s training to Shikamaru and also returned to her duties as a General. In this manner Sakura was faced with a freedom she never had before. Her first day without Chiyo and Temari to guide her, Sakura barely knew what to do.

“I suppose you could ask your husband for paperwork to help him with.” Shikamaru added in a bored tone. Sakura thanked him for his suggestion and started to make her way to Gaara’s office. She knew it was somewhere in the fifth floor. Shikamaru yawned as Sakura nervously walked around, trying to identify the correct room.

“Are you bored?” Sakura asked him. Shikamaru shrugged and Sakura eyed him suspiciously. She had noticed he seemed more restless recently and wondered why. Eventually Sakura noticed the man named Sai leaving a room, with a respectful bow and a uttering of “Kazekage-sama.” 

She walked past him with head held high, as if she had a purpose. He nodded respectfully to her as he passed by, that eternal tight lipped smile on his face. Sakura stood before the door nervously. Her husband always made her nervous for she never knew how to behave around him. Shikamaru’s stare made her blush and eventually she knocked. A sharp command sounded from inside. Sakura opened the door and took a step forward, motioning for Shikamaru to wait outside. She quietly closed the door behind her and stood still, waiting for Gaara to acknowledge her. He was immersed in whatever he was reading, and Sakura looked around curiously.

His office was very simple. There were large glass windows behind his chair. The desk was large and almost completely covered in paper. To the side was a couch and a couple chairs in front of his desk. A solitary cactus lingered on a nearby shelf. Sakura noticed that the Heavenly Bow was nowhere to be seen, surprising her. Naruto never strayed far from his axe, but she had never once seen Gaara’s Bow.

“What is… oh…” Gaara started with an annoyed tone that quickly deflated once he realized who he was talking to. He sighed. “First, you don’t need permission to enter my office. As the Kazehime it is your right to do so. Second, when you do enter my office, I expect you to say why you’re here. You don’t have to wait for me to acknowledge you.”

Sakura gaped a little. That was the most she had ever heard him say, and the first time she had seen such emotion leak from his voice. He sounded frustrated.

“Sorry… I came over to help. Chiyo-sama and Temari have officially cleared me for full Kazehime duty…” Sakura blushed, upset that she had already failed in her duty.

“I see… Take a seat and come have a look at this.” Gaara pointed to one of the chairs and as soon as Sakura sat down, he handed her the document he was reading.

 

_ To the Kazekage: _

_ Congratulations on your wedding to Sakura-hime from Konoha’s bloodline. I am sure that you must have been taken over by her legendary beauty, but I find myself wondering over the ramifications of such a union. Perhaps if the Kazekage was interested in a bride from another region, wouldn’t it have been better to warn other countries? And wouldn’t such a wedding deserve the presence of other leaders? I find myself most surprised by this turn of events… _

_ Sasuke Uchiha _

 

Sakura read the letter twice over before returning it to her husband. She took an additional minute to sort her thoughts.

“It sounds a bit like a threat, doesn’t it? Who is this Sasuke Uchiha person?” Sakura asked cautiously. Gaara nodded and ran his fingers through his hair, making it even more unruly than usual.

“He’s the leader of Sound. Bearer of the Onyx blade.” Gaara grumbled and Sakura gasped. She knew that the situation with Sound was very delicate, and this letter  only made things worse.

“Why do they sound so upset? Wasn’t this union supposed to get them to back off?” Sakura asked. Gaara huffed.

“I’ll deal with that later. For now, I have these reports that I’ve been meaning to take a look at, but I’ve been too busy. Can you look them over for me?” Gaara placed a large pile of papers in front of Sakura, and shuffled some other papers around to give her some space to work.

“Of course!”

Sakura worked the entire morning, reading the different reports of bandits assaulting the settlements around the southern border. She only stopped once the loud noise of her stomach grumbling interrupted the silence. Sakura blushed furiously. She furtively looked at Gaara, to find him smirking at the paper he was writing on. She watched him finish his sentence with a pout. He stood as soon as he did, stretching his arms with a groan. Sakura also stood up, and suddenly stumbled, her legs complaining about sitting for too long.

“Come on.”

Gaara led them outside. Sakura looked for Shikamaru, who was nowhere to be found. She kept following Gaara, and eventually he led them outside the tower. Sakura tried to maintain a respectful distance behind him, but as soon as he noticed, he slowed down his stride to match hers. Sakura was once again surprised at the level of respect conceded to her. Around them, people cleared the way for them to pass, everyone familiar with Sakura’s pink hair and Gaara’s flaming red one. He led them to a small shop. When as they entered they were warmly greeted by the owner.

“Kazekage-sama! I was wondering when you’d bring the Hime-sama over! I have your table ready.” The middle-aged woman led them to a table in the corner, which gave them some privacy. She smiled as Gaara ordered for both of them, since Sakura was so unfamiliar with the menu. 

“Do you come here often?” Sakura asked, watching the man in front of them cautiously.

“Yeah.”

“Is their food good?”

“Yeah.”

Sakura diverted her gaze from her husband to the other patrons of the place. None of them seemed very interested in either her or Gaara, which she enjoyed. She looked back to Gaara, who was staring at her. He didn’t avert his gaze, making Sakura slightly uncomfortable.

“Yes?” She asked, wondering if there was something he wanted to say. 

“I’m sorry.”

Sakura could feel her jaw hanging. She really couldn’t understand Gaara at all.

“For what?” Sakura asked, flabbergasted.

“Nothing.” Gaara averted his eyes and Sakura was left to stare at the puzzling man in front of her.

Eventually their meals arrived, and both parties occupied themselves with eating. As she ate, Sakura thought to the reports she had read earlier. And something hit her.

“Ah!” She exclaimed, startling Gaara. He looked at her in surprise. “I think I figured it out!” 

“What?” Gaara asked.

“The bandits aren’t bandits, they’re soldiers!” Sakura pointed her spoon at Gaara, forgetting her manners completely. “Sound has been sending soldiers disguised as bandits into our borders, probably to scout and gauge our current forces around the border, maybe even to find an entry point for a potential invasion!” Sakura exclaimed, proud of her own deduction. Gaara narrowed his eyes at her and suddenly rose from his seat. She quickly followed him as he stalked back to the tower. As soon as they were in his office he quickly glanced at the reports Sakura had gone through. After a few minutes of frantic shuffling, he turned to her.

“You might be right. I need to assemble the military council.” Gaara walked outside and started barking orders, leaving Sakura behind. Eventually he returned and motioned for her to follow him. He led her to a room filled with soldiers and Temari. They all looked at Gaara, who simply gave Sakura a small pat on the back. She looked at him in surprise and he simply nodded.

“I was reading over the bandit reports in the southern border and…”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am with another chapter where we get to see the beginning of Sakura's adventures in a foreign place with different customs. I will try to keep a weekly upload schedule, so please look forward to it. Thanks for reading!


	4. A Princess in Danger

Sakura watched as the members of Gaara’s council left the room, debating in hushed tones. She remained by his side, waiting for him to finish his conversation with Sai. 

“Sakura! Good job today. I’m really impressed you were able to notice that in time, it seems you’re way smarter than anyone gave you credit for!” Temari approached her with a warm smile and a congratulatory pat in the back that had Sakura blushing.

“I did have a lot of free time in Konoha, and most of it was spent reading books at the library so I have a good head on my shoulders.” Sakura huffed, miffed that Temari would think her to be a silly girl. The older girl’s smile softened.  “Don’t be mad, I was just teasing you. I’m personally taking charge of this operation myself, since unlike those old geezers I trust your judgement.”

Sakura’s presentation to the council hadn’t gone very smoothly, with many of the older members of the council doubting her conclusions and dismissing many of her claims, something that had upset her. It had taken Gaara’s demand for absolute silence to allow Sakura to finish her thoughts without being constantly interrupted in a condescending manner. Once she had been finished, she had not managed to convince everyone, but Temari had decided to take action and start her own mission to investigate these claims in person, and with Gaara’s support, no objections were made. Now, there was only one last step in Sakura’s plan.

“Temari, take Shikamaru with you when you go.” Sakura asked, surprising the other woman.

“Your guard? Why?” 

“Like me, Shikamaru tends to hide some of his best assets due to laziness. I think you’ll find him to be very helpful. Besides, it’s not like he’s really needed here anyways.” Sakura explained. Temari eyed her suspiciously, but consented anyways. She had noticed that the guard was unusually skilled when he had been helping her train Sakura and she had been planning on investigating him.

“Alright, but promise me to take care of yourself. You’re a really important person to Suna. Losing you would cause irreparable damage to our ties to Konoha.” Temari cautioned Sakura, who smiled ruefully. The pinkette doubted that anyone in Konoha would care much if she was harmed, considering how eager they were to give her away.

Sakura saw Temari and Shikamaru off the following day, renewing her promises to be very careful and to seek out help if any trouble arised. After she could no longer see them from the top of the Tower, she made her way to Gaara’s office, planning on joining him yet again. This time, she did not knock, and entered bearing sweets.

“Hello, Gaara-sama. I have requested these buns from the kitchens since I heard you skipped your first meal.” Sakura smiled, placing the plate with food atop his desk. Sakura noticed the minute twitch of his mouth and the slight widening of his eyes, and knew her mission had been successful.

“Just Gaara is fine.” He mumbled, before claiming a bun for himself. Sakura smiled at him and took the chair she had sat on in the previous day. 

“I’ve also asked the kitchen staff to send us lunch when the time comes. I’m afraid I’m scheduled for a visit to the hospital this afternoon, so I must eat early.” 

Gaara nodded at her and handed her a set of documents regarding their most recent trades with Konoha, asking her to look over the numbers. Sakura quickly went to work, noting down a few items that had been overpriced, silently sending an apology to Naruto for helping Suna out. After she was done, Sakura noticed how uncomfortable she felt in that chair, and rose up to stretch, groaning as she did so.

Once she was finished, she noticed her husband looking at her attentively, and Sakura tilted her head to the side, curious at his sudden interest.

“The chair isn’t very comfortable…” She blushed. Sakura felt bad about complaining about it, since the people at Suna had been nothing but amazing to her, supplying her with everything she asked, much to her and Ino’s surprise. They had been allowed all the silks, paints and hair ornaments they had desired, and the two of them made sure to always have Sakura looking as beautiful as they could, following the traditions of Suna.

“I wasn’t aware. You should use the couch.” Gaara pointed at the couch behind her and Sakura frowned.

“I’d rather be able to work at a table. I enjoy taking notes and scribbling over what I’m reading…” 

Gaara took the document she had just been working on and analyzed it, his eyebrows immediately shooting upwards. Sakura saw him smirk at her notes and place it down, the smirk still in place. She commited that to memory, the first time she had seen him come close to a smile.

“I can see that.” There was something in his tone that made Sakura think he was teasing her, and she did not know how to react. It was the first time he had addressed her in such a way, usually maintaining a cold and polite distance. A knock was heard on the door, and Sakura was sad to see him slip back into his usual detachment. 

She looked away when the servant entered with a tray of food, another arriving with a small table and a pair of chairs. They set up the impromptu dining table quickly, and left before Sakura could thank them. She took a spot, and waited to see if Gaara would join her. He took an additional minute, but he rose to sit with her.

“Cooked Gizzard.” He noted as soon as he sat down.

“I inquired the kitchen staff as to what your favorite food was. I’ve been trying hard to be as good as a wife I can be… I know you said on our first night that we were wedded but not lovers, and I thought that, at least as far as I see it, a marriage is also a partnership, so even if I’m not your lover, at least I could try and be your partner…” Sakura mumbled, embarrassed of her feelings, but knowing that without words, there was no way for him to understand her, for he did not know her.

“I must apologize to you then.”

Sakura eyed him in surprise, wondering what he had done to her to warrant another apology.

“You haven’t done anything wrong to me, in fact you and your people have been nothing but kind and welcoming.” Sakura smiled at him.

“When I saw you in Konoha, I believed you to be nothing more than a pretty face with sweet words. I was wrong.” Gaara said to his plate, avoiding looking at Sakura, even though she couldn’t take her eyes away from him.

“I don’t blame you. For a time even I believed that of myself… I am happy I came here and I was given a chance to be a someone, and not a something…” Sakura could feel tears begging to leave her eyes, but she did not relent, swallowing the bitterness that she felt towards her old home.

“Sakura…”

“The food will get cold! Let’s eat shall we?” Sakura avoided the conversation, stuffing her mouth, as to not speak. Gaara joined her, albeit he ate much slower than she did. As soon as the meal was over, Sakura left, claiming that she had to prepare for her visit to the hospital. Gaara did not try to stop her, and she ran to her room, calling Ino immediately.

“What are we going for today?” Ino asked as soon as she arrived, ready to work.

“Since it’s a hospital, maybe a pastel color, like beige? A simple hair too, with a braid. Not a lot of jewels. I don’t want to look disrespectful.” Sakura smiled at Ino, trying to not dwell on the heart to heart she had just ran from. Ino set to work, and an hour later Sakura was making her way through the busy streets to the Suna General Hospital. 

Without Gaara, crowds did not part for her, and Sakura was able to reach the Hospital without any problems, greeting the staff that were waiting for her. She took the tour happily, greeting everyone and smiling gently to those in need. She spent the most time in the Children’s Ward, enjoying how cheerful it was, and even staying to read a book for storytime. The children loved her, for to them, she was a real princess, like the ones in fairy tales.

“You look like the Goddess!” A little girl said, pointing to a picture in a book. Sakura leaned in to take a closer look and noticed that indeed, the Goddess in the girl’s book had the same pink hair and green eyes that she did.

“Are you the Goddess?” A little boy asked. Sakura smiled at him softly.

“I am not. If I were, there would be no more sick children.” She answered and the boy nodded. Sakura only left when a nurse told her the sun was beginning to set, and it was with a heavy heart that Sakura left, with a promise to visit again soon. She knew that as soon as she got home, she’d tell Ino to schedule as many visits to the Children’s Ward as she could.

Leaving the hospital staff behind, Sakura walked the path home, surprised at how dark it was. Most of the shops were closing, and all the stalls were gone, leaving the streets the emptiest she had ever seen them. The moon was young in the sky, and when Sakura turned a corner, she never had a chance to see the blow before it came. As she felt herself fall, the last thing she saw were the twinkling stars in the sky.

* * *

Gaara knew he was supposed to listen to Sai’s latest reports, but his mind kept drifting to his new obsession: his petite wife. He had wanted her from the first time he laid eyes on her, charmed by her unique looks, her soft voice and her kind smile. It was a hard task to not be too eager to take that offer from Konoha, and he was grateful for his herculean self-control. He had the entire world fooled with his aloofness, a blessing and a curse. Her presence calmed his inner demon, giving him peace he hadn’t experienced in years, and now Gaara could only think on how he could find ways to be near her, without being too obvious about it. 

The day of their wedding would be forever engraved in his mind, from the beautiful way she looked to the fact that she was now his, permanently. He kept himself appraised of everything that went on in her life, knowing that she had made an effort to fit in, something that made him impressed. He was already smitten with her looks, but since her arrival he was beginning to admire her wits. She was smart, kind and compassionate. She worked hard to learn about his country and to help him. She took the time to connect to his people. To say he was obsessed before did not compare to how he felt about her now.

“...and lastly I hear that Sakura-hime’s visit to the hospital has been a resounding success. It seems everywhere she goes people adore her. The hospital staff have already requested another visit.” Sai finished his spiel, taking Gaara’s attention as soon as he started talking about the Kazehime.

“Has she returned?” Gaara asked, turning his chair to look at the night sky. He worried for a second, wondering if she found her way back to the tower safely.

“I can ask the guards.” Sai shrugged.

Gaara heard Sai leave his office and started to plan a rework of the aforementioned room, planning to get her a comfortable place to work beside him. He was wondering if he should get a matching set of chair and tables for the two of them, when Sai burst into his office, panting. Gaara turned to face him, wondering why his assistant was reacting in such a fashion.

“Sakura-hime has not yet returned from the hospital. It is a fifteen minute walk, and she was reported leaving the hospital two hours ago.” Sai whispered, his usual composed smile replaced by a frown of concern. 

Gaara felt the familiar bloodlust rising inside of him, threatening to consume him as it once did years ago. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he stood, grabbing his coat. He marched out of the room with purpose, plans already forming in his head.

“Take my guard and search every inch of the city. I want to know where she was last seen.” Gaara took the stairs to the fourth floor, where he strode purposely towards his brother’s laboratory. He could hear Sai shouting orders downstairs. Gaara entered his brother’s workplace without preamble, quickly calling for him.

“Kankuro!”

Kankuro showed up quickly, surprised to see Gaara calling for him.

“What’s up?”

“Sakura has been missing for the past two hours. Take your gear, we’re going to find her.”

Gaara left as quickly as he arrived, making his way to the roof, not waiting for his brother to catch up. As soon as he arrived, he saw his men emptying the building, running around to complete a sweep of the city. Sakura was his, and he’d have the heads of whoever dared harm her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we have our first peek at Gaara's thoughts. I intend to keep most of the story under Sakura's narration/viewpoint, but we'll get to see some of Gaara's side here and there. This week ends in a cliffhanger, please look forward to next week!


	5. A Princess Saved

“You idiots! That is the wrong girl!”

Sakura opened her eyes to find herself tied up, in a cold dark room, where her only source of light came from a sliver underneath the door. 

“You were supposed to kidnap the sister, not the wife!”

Sakura tried to move her hands and feet, but found that with her hands tied behind her back and her feet similarly bound, there was no way for her to move.

“One is a general, the other a pretty trophy! The wife won’t have any useful information for us!”

Arching her back, she tried to reach the tie that bound her feet with her hands. She found that she could just barely touch the knot, but not enough to properly undo it. She tried to find something in her surroundings that would help her, but the room she was in was completely empty. Steps approached the door and Sakura feigned unconsciousness. She hoped whoever her captor was, he wouldn’t notice her rapid pulse.

“What do we do with her then, boss?” 

The door opened and two men entered the room. Sakura stood still, too afraid to even breathe. 

“We should take her to Uchiha-sama. He might be able to use her as a bargaining chip.”

Sakura remained still as one of the men approached her. He leaned over, but did not touch her.

“She’s still unconscious boss. How do we take her out of here?”

“Do we still have that cart? Load her up in the back.”

One of the two men picked her up as if she was a sack of potatoes and Sakura had to swallow a squeak. She opened her eyes as he carried her, trying to get a sense of where she was, and she spotted two men following her captor. She committed their appearances to memory, so she could identify them in the future. As soon as they stepped outside, Sakura saw that they weren’t too far from the Kazekage’s tower, and that if she escaped she might be able to reach help.

Sakura closed her eyes and waited with bated breath until he deposited her in the back of the cart. The other men sat at the front. She could hear them bickering until eventually the cart slowly started to move. Using the noise of their transport, Sakura dragged herself to the edge, intent on jumping off as soon as it slowed down. She had her opportunity when they slowed to make a turn, and Sakura jumped. She landed in the rough ground with a harsh impact, sending her tumbling. She could feel her skin cracking open and knew she might even be bleeding. Breathing suddenly became much more difficult and she hoped she hadn't broken a rib or punctured a lung. Her fall ripped the gag from her mouth and Sakura slowly tried to get herself to stand.

“Boss! The girl!” One of the men shouted behind her.

Sakura turned around to see that they knew of her escape. She screamed for help, the loudest she could manage, and started shuffling away from them, yelling as much as she could, trying to draw attention.

“Silence her!” The boss yelled, drawing a sword.

Sakura’s efforts were in vain, and they quickly caught up to her. As soon as the first man was about to lay hands on her, he abruptly stopped mid-motion and crumpled, an arrow embedded deep in his skull. The arrow dissolved, leaving only the gaping wound and the dead man. Another arrow flew, slicing the ties that bound her feet. Sakura turned and ran. 

It was then that she saw him, standing on top of a streetlamp, bow of legend in hand. He looked like a demon, ready to enact his vengeance upon her captors. Sakura had read tales about the Heavenly Weapons and how powerful they were. She had seen Naruto’s axe, but she had never seen it being wielded, and she could tell why. The bow looked like it was made of pure energy, a fiery aether taking the shape of a mortal instrument. An arrow showed up in Gaara’s hand and with a swift, practiced motion he let it fly. Behind Sakura, a man yelled in anguish. She did not dare look back, concentrating in placing one foot in front of another, to reach safety.

Unfortunately for her, a hand grabbed her by her long hair, pulling her backwards. Sakura fell into the arms of her captor, who placed a sword to her throat. Sakura could see her tears falling on the blade.

“Oy oy, if you wanna see the pretty girl live, you’ll let me go.” The boss’s slimy hands gripped her harder, and Sakura whimpered in pain, praying to the Goddess to spare her life.

“You will let her go.” Gaara’s cool voice reached them. He let loose another arrow, and before her captor could react, it pierced his arm, loosening his grip on Sakura. Suddenly he was yanked away from her, and Sakura fell, hitting the ground hard. She looked back to see Sai holding a dagger to the man’s neck as he had done to Sakura. Behind him, Sakura’s other captors all lay dead. Gaara jumped down from his perch, a fire in both his eyes and hands.

_ He looks like a demon _

And Sakura’s world went dark.

* * *

When Sakura opened her eyes, she saw the ceiling of her room. Briefly Sakura wondered if she had dreamed her abduction, but the throbbing pain that encompassed her whole body told a different story. She heard shuffling next to her and turned her head to see Gaara, standing with his back to her, looking out her window. The fiery bow was nowhere to be seen, and he looked to have returned to his normal self.

Sakura closed her eyes and the memory of his eyes, molten jade promising pain, scared her. When she reopened them, he had not moved.

“Gaara?” Her voice came out rough, a raspy whisper. He turned around suddenly, startling her. His eyes were back to normal, solid, safe jade. Relief flooded Sakura who felt like crying.

“You’re awake. How do you feel? Should I call the doctor?” Concern was evident in his entire being, and Sakura enjoyed the way he hovered over her. She reached out a hand from under the covers, grabbing his own.

“I’m okay. It wasn’t the first, second or even third time I’ve been kidnapped. It comes with the territory.” Sakura smiled at him reassuringly. He growled, and a flash of that rage appeared. 

“I shouldn’t have been so merciful. I should have made them suffer.” He growled. Sakura took the time to study him in his righteous anger. It transformed him completely, the darkening of his eyes, the rigidity of his mouth and the flare of his nose. However, unlike the previous time, she was not scared of him.

“Gaara…” She called to him, and watched as he transformed when he looked at her, all of his features softening, and the anger vanishing. “Most of my injuries were caused when I jumped from the cart. And more importantly, I wasn’t even their actual target. I heard them speaking. They were working for Sasuke Uchiha and they were trying to abduct Temari, for information.” Her experiences with previous kidnapping attempts had taught her how to behave and how to try and glean as much information as possible.

“I see. Sai is interrogating their leader now. We’ll know more soon. I’m sorry you had to suffer through this. I wish it had been Temari instead.” Gaara took the seat next to her bed, never letting go of her hand.

“She’s your sister, you shouldn’t say that.” Sakura reprehended him. He scoffed at her, and Sakura couldn’t help but smile at that. It was refreshing to see him show so much emotion. She felt that in these few minutes she could see him better than in the months they had been together.

Sakura could feel sleep threatening to overcome her, her body still exhausted from the ordeal. She was almost dozing off when she felt him remove his hand from hers. She opened her eyes and reached out to him again, grasping his hand firmly. He had been half-standing, and sat again, looking at her in surprise.

“Don’t go. I don’t want to be alone. Stay with me tonight.” Sakura asked him. He only nodded to her and pulled the chair closer, intent on settling down for the night. “You can lay on the bed…” She mumbled, voice half-muffled by the pillow. 

“It wouldn’t be appropriate. I can take the chair.” Gaara spoke lowly, and Sakura noticed his cheeks were tinged pink. She smiled at him.

“You can sleep on top of the sheets if that makes you more comfortable, husband.” She teased him, smiling at his reaction. The pink of his cheeks intensified, but he did not take her suggestion, settling on the armchair. Sakura scooted closer to him, wincing with the effort. The combination of his presence, his warmth seeping through their linked hands and the relief of being safe lulled Sakura into a deep sleep. Her last thought before succumbing to slumber was that Gaara was incredibly warm, more than any other human she had touched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we have a swift resolution and the first look at Gaara's prowess as an archer. To those of you who were expecting Sasuke this chapter, I apologize. He won't make his appearance just yet. However, his orders of kidnapping will have very serious consequences as we'll see next chapter. Thank you all for reading and see you next week! Please look forward to it!


	6. A Princess' Demon

Sakura’s abduction had strong repercussions. The confirmation that Sasuke Uchiha had sent henchmen to Suna to abduct Temari and those henchmen had ended up kidnapping Sakura had been the spark to start the war effort. After hearing about the incident, Naruto had sent Kakashi over to check on Sakura’s health and to discuss an official denouncement of Sasuke. Her mentor was surprised to see Sakura actively participating in all the discussions, offering her own opinions. He was even more surprised that almost everyone heard her, even if they did not agree with her. 

Konoha and Suna eventually agreed to demand reparations from Sasuke and Kakashi returned to Fire Country, to report to Naruto the results of the negotiations with Suna and to describe the sort of life Sakura was living. As soon as Kakashi left, Temari arrived, with Shikamaru in tow.

“I’m so sorry, I should have been here.” Shikamaru had been the first to apologize.

“Nonsense, I was the one that sent you away.” Sakura quickly dismissed his apology, knowing that he was not to blame. 

“We still shouldn't have left you without protection. You haven't had the same military training given to me, so to leave you unguarded in times like these was nonsensical.” Temari noted. She had been very surprised by Shikamaru’s performance in the field and had planned on making him a permanent addition to her team, but Sakura’s safety was much more important to her. 

The three siblings, Sakura and Shikamaru were in the common room at the Kazekage level, discussing the latest events. Kankuro was still reading over Temari’s reconnaissance report and Gaara was watching the discussion unfold from his armchair. Sakura was near him, draped across the loveseat, her bandages peeking from beneath her sari. 

“Temari, from your report, his military strategy seems unparalleled. Is this true?” Kankuro asked, having just finished reading. Gaara switched his focus to the guard in question, who was standing a respectful distance away from the seated family. 

“I always thought that Shikamaru was both the smartest and laziest man in Konoha.” Sakura added her opinion as Temari nodded to her brothers. 

“It would be silly to waste his talents as a simple guard. However, it is also true that we've never had a Kazehime who couldn't hold her own in a fight.” Kankuro sighed. Sakura blushed in embarrassment. In Konoha, none of the noblewomen were allowed to learn to fight. Only commoners could enlist in the army and receive training.

“I'm sorry…”

Before Sakura could finish her sentence, Gaara interrupted her. 

“Shikamaru will be working alongside Sai and Temari under me for all military tactical services. We're about to head to war and we cannot squander any resources. Temari, I will contact Chiyo so that you two may provide Sakura the same military training all women go through in the Academy. Until she is deemed ready, all her humanitarian visits will be reduced to once per week, and she will be accompanied by at least one of us or Sai. We cannot allow any further harm to come to her lest we lose our alliance to Konoha.” Gaara ended the discussion with strict orders to everyone and got up, heading to the dining area. The others watched him leave in surprise, most of all Shikamaru, who had been expecting a severe scolding from the redhead. 

“Well, I can't disagree with him. As soon as you're healed, I'll start your training. Be prepared Sakura, this won't be easy as before.” Temari sighed. Sakura nodded and started to get up before her broken ribs caused her to groan in pain. 

“Here, let me help you up.”

With Kankuro’s assistance Sakura shuffled to the dining room, where they found Gaara scowling at the table. It was set for three people, and the Kazekage’s seat was empty. Shikamaru quickly excused himself and just as Sakura, Kankuro and Temari were seated a maid, who Sakura recognized as Matsuri appeared with a set of plates and utensils for Gaara. 

“My apologies Kazekage-sama. We weren't expecting you…” She bowed deeply and he nodded to her, scowl diminishing. 

“From now onward I will have dinner with my family.” He grumbled, surprising everyone with his sudden change in habits. His siblings were the most shocked, for Gaara had never been one to sit down at the dinner table. The maid bowed one last time and left, leaving a silent room behind. 

The silence persisted until everyone had served themselves and Sakura was the first one to break it. 

“Forgive me for my curiosity, but I have never seen you carrying your bow with you. My brother never leaves his axe, so I was curious because I never see you with your bow.” Sakura asked cautiously, slowly going over her words and ready to back out if she saw any bad signs from any of the siblings. 

“I have it with me always.” Gaara parted his messy hair to show her a mark on his forehead, a symbol Sakura knew to be the ancient language of old. Naruto once showed her a similar symbol on his axe. 

“I don't understand… Do you pull it out of your head?” she asked and almost immediately regretted her words, because it sounded silly to pull a bow out of your head. To her surprise the two elder siblings smiled at their plates while Gaara replied with a grumpy nod. They resumed the silence, each one busy with their own thoughts. 

“Your brother, what has he told you about his weapon?” Gaara asked Sakura, curious of her knowledge. Due to the separation of the Relics, very few people had ever seen more than one, and ever fewer could claim a close relationship with two bearers. 

“He never said much. Mainly he used to always tell me to never touch it, no matter how big an emergency. He allowed me to get close once, so I could see it better. There's a rune on the hilt that's similar to the one on your head. It's a very pretty green. I once heard that a servant touched it when my brother was sleeping. Ino told me he went mad. That's all I know about it. Women never get a chance to try for it, so I wasn't trained or educated like my brother was.”

“That's nonsense. Why shouldn't women get a chance to see if they're the chosen one? I had my shot at the bow.” Temari scoffed. Everytime Sakura mentioned any one of Konoha’s inequalities she got upset. 

“You tried for it?” Sakura asked, eyeing Temari with admiration.

“We both did. Gaara is the youngest of us, so he was the last in line to try for the bow.” Kankuro smiled. 

“Still, it's interesting to see that ours isn't the only one.” Temari smiled at Gaara in relief. Sakura looked at both of them, feeling like she was missing something. Before she could ask, Kankuro started asking questions to Temari about her time at the southern border. Gaara joined in and Sakura missed her chance to ask more. 

After the meal was finished, she returned to her room with Temari, while Kankuro and Gaara went to the lab to check on something. 

As soon as the two girls were alone in the room, Temari asked:

“Shikamaru doesn't have a girlfriend back in Konoha, does he?”

“No. He usually complains about women being too troublesome to be worth the effort.” Sakura thought to her times with him at the palace, and how he never seemed to be interested in pursuing girls. “Why do you ask?”

“Ah well you know, if he's going to be in Gaara’s special military council, we might have to look into citizenship issues and we didn't want any conflicts.”

Sakura noticed how Temari avoided her eyes throughout her distracted words and wondered if there was any problems with Shikamaru working as a Suna army strategist, or if it was something of a more private problem.

“I'm privy to any of Suna’s information and I've never had any citizenship problems. Why would the same apply to him?” Sakura asked. Temari finally looked at her, bearing a sad smile. 

“Nobody told you? When you married Gaara and became Kazehime, you officially renounced your Fire citizenship. You belong exclusively to Wind now.”

“Oh.”

Sensing Sakura’s discomfort, Temari quickly made her retreat, leaving the Kazehime alone to wonder about why others always knew more than she did. 

Eventually Sakura called upon Ino to change into her sleeping tunic but a nagging doubt in the back of her mind kept her from wanting to sleep. She painfully made her way to her husband's room, and sat on his bed, the most comfortable surface around. As the moon rose in the sky, Sakura eventually shifted to laying at the edge of the bed, trying to keep herself awake until he arrived. She was half asleep when the door finally opened, revealing a surprised Gaara. 

“Sakura. What are you doing here?” 

His voice shook the sleep away and she tried to sit up to see him better. Her injuries caused a severe pang of pain, due to her awkward position on the bed. She gasped tearfully and he ran to her, carefully pulling her into a sitting position. 

“Sorry, I just had to ask…”

“You should have sent for me instead of waiting like this. You need plenty of rest, as Chiyo said.” Gaara scolded her and she waved his concern away. 

“The thing, about the mad servant, and what Temari said and what I saw that night. Tell me, are you, my brother… Are these weapons cursed?” She asked, holding his arms so that he couldn't get away from her. He turned his face, avoiding her gaze. 

“You could say that, I suppose.” He sighed.

“No, don't be vague. Explain it to me, tell me why. I'm tired of not knowing things that I should know!” She said forcefully and he finally looked at her. With his nod she let him go and he settled next to her on the foot of the bed. 

“You could say that each weapon has a sort of personality. My father called it a demon. My personal theory is that it is a corruption, left over by the old evil they defeated so long ago. These demons live within us as we are bearers of the weapons. Only we can sustain them. Temari and Kankuro somehow were able to retain themselves, but we had an older brother who didn't. He was driven mad by the corruption, completely changing his mind and personality, and it drove him away. I assume that's why your brother was so adamant about you never touching his axe. He was simply protecting you.”

Sakura could feel tears pooling in her eyes. She felt that she could finally understand why her brother had gone from so cheerful and sunny to such a somber man. She felt bad for resenting him, when he was suffering by himself. 

“Why are you crying?” Gaara asked, and Sakura tried to wipe her tears away. 

“It's just… I didn't know… I was so mad at him for not being my brother anymore and I distanced myself from him and it wasn't his fault. I could have helped him, I could have been there for him, but instead I chose to leave him alone and hide in the library!” Sakura couldn't hold back anymore, and started sobbing in her hands. Gaara gently placed an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. 

“I don't know much about him, but when your brother came to speak to me the night before our wedding, he asked me that if you ever wanted to run away, I should allow you to do so and that he'd still honor the alliance. Do you want to run away to your brother? Or to anywhere else? You're cursed to being married to a corrupted man, who may one day turn into the devil.” 

Sakura cried harder at Gaara’s words, feeling sad for her brother and her husband, two kind men who didn't deserve the cruel fate destiny had bestowed upon them. 

“No. I'll stay. I like it here.” She said between sobs. Eventually Sakura managed to calm down, finding herself clinging to Gaara for support.

“Sakura…”

“Can I stay here tonight? Your bed is softer than mine and I don't want to get back to my room.” Sakura asked, letting go of her husband and drying her tears with her sleeves. 

“I still have work to do. It might disturb you.” Gaara warned her as he watched her pull herself to the pillows. She settled underneath the covers and sighed deeply. 

“I'm a heavy sleeper. I don't mind.”

True to her word, in a few minutes she was already asleep, and Gaara watched her from his desk, work completely forgotten as he thought about what had just happened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we have some more background info on Gaara, Naruto and the nature of these weapons they carry. They retain their struggles of having to deal with inner demons, but in a way that makes sense to the story, and it will be relevant, I promise! Thank you all for your kind words about last chapter, and I hope this one is enjoyable as well. Please look forward to another one next week.


	7. A Visionary Princess

Bones, Sakura learned, took a while to heal. It had been a full season since her abduction. In that time, kept herself busy by reading over the numerous reports on skirmishes around the Northern and Southern borders of Wind country. Gaara had delegated all such reports to herself, Temari and Sai. He had been busy coordinating supply lines with Kankuro and Tribe leaders around the borders to fortify defenses. War had not yet been declared, but everyone could see it coming in the air.

“Ugly and Brute, where are the reports from the gates today? We were supposed to receive a merchant caravan from Sound today.” Sai asked, not taking his eyes from his work.

Sakura quickly learned that Gaara’s aide, Sai was the complete opposite of her husband. While Gaara had been aloof but kind, Sai was nothing but loud and rude. He took to giving everyone insulting nicknames, and Sakura had become Ugly. Temari went by Brute and Shikamaru was called Sparkles. The only person Sai seemed to respect was Gaara.

“I haven’t seen them yet. Have they already arrived?” Temari looked through the stack of papers that had just been delivered by a guard.

“I have them here. Says the leader has been requesting an audience with the Kazekage.” Shikamaru noted in a bored tone.

“He won’t answer, right? I mean it could be an assassination attempt.” Sakura looked around the other members of room, looking for confirmation. Temari and Sai looked at her with a smile, while Shikamaru shook his head.

“I’d like to see them try to assassinate the Kazekage.” Sai snickered. Sakura frowned at him, upset with his lack of concern for his leader.

“Sai, you shouldn’t say that! Someone might accuse you of treason again.” Temari joked from her corner of the room.

The four of them were stuck in a room across the hall from the Kazekage’s office. The room had been furnished with four desks and chairs, one for each member. Sai had been the first one to point out that Sakura’s desk had the pretty engravings and her chair was softer than all of theirs. Sakura secretly wondered if Gaara had been the one to order it so. She noticed that she was always supplied with the nicest things around, from fabrics to food to furniture. The day after she had commented on Gaara’s bed being softer than hers, Ino told her about how servants had been sent in to change her bed when she hadn’t been there.

“Temari you should at least be there to help in case something happens!” Sakura complained, worried for his safety.

“And do what? Gaara doesn’t need me around for his safety.” Temari smiled at Sakura’s concern. She had noticed how the pinkette seemed to grow more and more attached to her brother as time passed. She hoped one day they’d be able to love each other.

“We should still notify him of it. Here, Sakura. You deliver the message.” Shikamaru held the report to the princess, who rose from her chair and headed to it with a scowl.

“Why are you all always making me deliver these?” She complained.

“Because, little sister, you can go in and out of his office as you please. He never gets mad at you.” Temari replied cheerfully. She had been chewed out by her leader many times before whenever he was grumpy, but had never seen Sakura suffer the same fate.

“Go marry the Kazekage, Sakura. It’ll be fun, they said. I’ve become a simple messenger boy…” Sakura complained on her way out the door. The three watched her leave with a smile. As soon as the door closed behind her, Sai was the first to speak.

“She’s finally gotten over it…” 

“Much faster than I anticipated.” Shikamaru agreed with Sai’s assessment. It had been a few months since Sakura had been married, and she had finally grown used to her situation, occasionally cracking jokes about it, and being comfortable with the people around her. Shikamaru couldn’t help but admire her capacity to adapt.

“I knew telling him to start showing up to dinner was going to help. How was she going to be able to get used to being married if she never saw her husband?” Temari nodded, satisfied with herself. In the past month of dinners, she had seen Gaara and Sakura finally grow comfortable with each other’s presence and she prided herself in being the catalyst for it.

Outside the room, Sakura listened to their conversation from the hallway. She knew that every time they sent her out to talk to Gaara they gossiped behind her back and she had quickly grown the habit of pressing her ear to the door to listen to them speak as soon as they believed she had left.

“What are you doing?” Gaara’s voice startled her, causing her to jump and turn to face him with a heavy blush.

“I was listening in to their conversation… Every time they send me to deliver you a message they talk about me, so it’s only fair I get to listen in.” Sakura pouted. Gaara smirked at her, causing her to feel silly. To her surprise, he got in close and leaned over her to press his own ear to the door. Sakura stood still as he towered over her, she could practically feel his breath on her hair and the warmth of his frame radiating from him. He stepped back and she felt hot, as if she had just spent too long under the sun.

“They really do gossip, huh.” He said thoughtfully and Sakura was curious about what he heard.

“What did you hear?” She asked, but he simply shook his head. She already knew that was simply his way of saying that it was nothing important. Since the night he told her the truth about the Holy Weapons, he never kept anything from her, only small insignificant things that didn’t interest her. He motioned with his head to the stairs, inviting her to accompany him and she accepted as she usually did. Since her attack, Gaara had taken to inviting her to spend time with him on the roof. It was the one time they would never be interrupted and she used that time to get closer to him. As they climbed to the roof in silence, Sakura pondered on how she had grown used to all of her husband’s silent communications. 

At the rooftop, Gaara led them to the small gazebo he had installed there for Sakura. He enjoyed whenever she chose to join him up there, for it was his favorite spot in Suna, where he could feel the winds from the desert, whispering secrets to him. Sakura, whose complexion was not used to the sun would quickly get burnt or dehydrated, so he ordered a small gazebo with a soft divan for her. He would frequently turn around from his meditation to find her asleep there. Once she was seated, he stepped outside of the shade into the sun, turning east to feel the wind play with his hair.

“What were you supposed to tell me?” He asked after a few minutes of silence.

“A caravan of merchants from the South arrived today. The leader has been asking for an audience with you, claiming he has a very important message to deliver. Or so says this report from the guards at the gate. I am concerned about a potential assassination attempt, so I wouldn’t suggest accepting this.” Sakura watched the still form of her husband as she delivered her message. Whenever they were in the roof together, he always stayed outside the shade of the gazebo, always facing the wind. Sometimes he would sit and meditate, other times he would just stand still, taking in the wind. Sakura always took this time to watch him, for with time she had come to really appreciate the sight of him. He was a very handsome man, practically sculpted from marble, like the statues imported from the North. When he abandoned his serious face to the tranquil one she now saw, Sakura thought him perfect.

“You needn’t worry over me. I’d enjoy an assassination attempt.”

“Gaara!” Sakura exclaimed, horrified. He opened his eyes and smiled at her.

“It would break the monotony of paperwork.” Sakura glared at him sternly, unimpressed with his nonchalance. Her look made him exhale slightly, a noise Sakura had classified as the closest thing to a laugh he could manage. “Don’t worry over me, Chiyo has explained to you the nature of chakra, yes?”

“Yes. We went over it last week. It’s the capacity to harness one’s life energy, or chi, in order to perform actions otherwise impossible to normal humans. She had Temari show me an example with the large fan she carries.” Sakura replied, curious as to where he was getting at. Chiyo had been teaching her all the theoretical things covered at the Army Academy. Sakura prided herself as a fast learner, and had been taking to everything easily. However, the knowledge of chakra and its uses was something that Sakura had known before Chiyo’s lecture, but she kept that to herself. 

“And did she explain the effect the Holy Weapons have on humans with chakra?”

Sakura took a moment to recall her lesson, but she did not remember anything related to the Holy Weapons at all.

“No… I don’t believe Chiyo-sama ever mentioned the Holy Weapons.”

“Then allow me to show you.”

At first nothing happened, it only seemed to Sakura as if the wind had somehow picked up stronger, blowing grains of sand around. However, a few seconds after, she noticed that the sand wasn’t being blown by the wind, but it seemed to have a mind of its own, congregating around Gaara. Soon, there was a large mound of sand next to Gaara, and that sand quickly began to reshape itself, taking a human form, of someone so similar to Sakura that when it was finished she gasped.

“That’s…!”

In front of her, next to Gaara was a perfect, sandy replica of herself. It was identical to her, from the sari draped across her shoulder to the elegant braid that circled her head. Gaara stood with a smug expression as Sakura gaped, unable to take her eyes away from herself.

“You… This… It’s me! You made me with sand!” Sakura rose from her comfortable position to get closer to her clone, and she extended a hand to touch it. The sand was hard underneath her fingers, held together by something that she could not grasp.

“When I was born I was already gifted with this capacity to use my chakra to control sand. Holy Weapons seem to enhance an individual’s ability further to levels that some could consider godly. With this sand and my bow, I am invincible.”

Gaara sounded so confident in his own skills that Sakura couldn’t help but admire him. At that moment, with the sun behind his back, the wind in his hair and a smile on his face, Sakura could see how he would be the epic hero of some fantasy tale. Just as she thought that, a vision flashed in her eyes, and she saw herself standing somewhere completely different, in a meadow filled with blue flowers. In front of her was another man, who looked so much like Gaara, except older. He was grinning at her, and Sakura felt hopeful upon seeing him. She blinked and suddenly she was back on the tallest rooftop of Suna, staring at her husband’s face, who was now filled with concern. She brought a hand to her mouth feeling something wet touching it. As she pulled her fingers away, they were coated with blood. 

“Sakura!” 

Everything went dark.

When Sakura came to, she saw the familiar face of Chiyo hovering over her. She was now in her room, with the elder lady and Ino. 

“What happened?” Sakura asked, confused as to how she had arrived where she was. She tried to recall her last moments of consciousness. Her moment with Gaara at the rooftop returned to her, along with her vision of the older Gaara look alike. 

“We should be the ones asking you that, Sakura-hime. Imagine my surprise when the Kazekage burst in here with you in his arms, blood all over your face!” Ino complained, fussing over Sakura while Chiyo stepped back, relief in her face.

“I examined you, but there doesn’t seem to be anything unusual, probably just heatstroke from staying under the sun. I keep telling him that you shouldn’t be spending too much time in that rooftop.” Chiyo smiled at Sakura, who sighed in relief. She wondered about telling the other woman about her vision, but she knew that heatstroke victims suffered from hallucinations and chose not to. Besides, if word got out that Sakura was having visions... She shivered at the thought.

“Where is Gaara?” Sakura asked, surprised she didn’t see him anywhere. Whenever she woke up from fainting he had always been there.

“That boy is receiving a merchant from the South at the moment. Have the servants serve her meal here. I don’t want her leaving the bed until tomorrow morning. And make sure she drinks lots of liquids.” Chiyo left shortly after giving her instructions to Ino.

Ino stayed with Sakura until after dinner, when Gaara finally entered his wife’s room. He looked upset, and Ino quickly made herself scarce, leaving her lady to deal with the Kazekage’s mood by herself.

“What happened?” Sakura asked as soon as Ino was gone. Gaara only answered after settling himself on the armchair next to Sakura’s bed.

“The merchant.”

“Are you upset he didn’t try to assassinate you?” Sakura asked, teasing him. Usually whenever he was upset with politics, he responded well to her jabs.

“It would have been better if he did.” Gaara complained grouchily. They remained in silence longer and Sakura decided to prod him in a more gentle fashion.

“Gaara, please. What happened?” She reached out to gently squeeze his hand in encouragement, and after a sigh he relented.

“The merchant came bearing a summons from Sasuke Uchiha to a war summit. He wishes there to set his terms for peace, and if we do not meet them, he intends to declare war.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens! We're leaving the first part of the story to start entering the second arc, and we'll start to see some plotlines begin to evolve and weave with others. I apologize for the slight delay on this chapter, I got really absorbed by another story that popped into my head, delaying this one slightly. Thank you all for reading and please look forward to another chapter next week!


	8. A Political Princess

It was with great unease that Sakura looked upon the mysterious structure made of ancient rock. It was placed at the very center of their continent, perfectly placed so that it was evenly split among all four lands. They were still a few hours away from it, but from their high ground advantage they could easily survey its surroundings. Sakura turned her attention to the caravan setting up camp around her. It was a small party, comprised of Gaara, Sai, Temari and a few additional soldiers. They were headed towards the ancient site to meet with the other Lords, where they would hear Sasuke Uchiha’s declaration.

“It’s creepy isn’t it?” Temari had approached Sakura’s position at the top of the dune, where she had been looking at the ancient castle. 

“Yes, it makes me feel… unease.”

Beside Sakura, Temari nodded in agreement. Sakura didn’t explain how being there caused a tingling feeling in the pit of her belly. She knew Temari’s sense of unease was probably related to the many small human figures they could spot around their object of interest.

Their break ended when the sun was high in the sky. Sakura mounted the Camel assigned to her and covered herself with her sari. Temari had convinced her to wear a bright red one, to match Gaara’s usual colors, even though Sakura tended to prefer lighter colors. The trip to the ancient structure didn’t take long, and soon they were all standing under the shade cast by it, dismounting and preparing to enter. 

“It looks like only the Northern Group has yet to arrive.” Temari noted to her brother, who nodded. Sakura noticed the familiar horses from Konoha and felt a pang of pain for her former home. 

“We will convene first with our friends from Konoha before entering the main room. Sai, if you will.” Gaara spoke his orders in a low voice, being aware that their movements were being watched, and their words listened to. Sai nodded and quickly entered, leaving them behind. Sakura followed Gaara when he entered, and tried to stick close to him, the unsettling feeling in her stomach stronger than before.

As soon as they placed their packs in the Western Room, Naruto entered, followed by Kakashi and Hyuuga Neji, the captain of his personal guard. He had his axe strapped to his back, and Sakura noticed that he looked like he had gained even more muscle.

“Gaara.” He nodded politely to Sakura’s husband before turning to her with a warm smile. “Sakura.” Sakura smiled back to him, tears in her eyes. She ached to hug him, but she held herself back, knowing it would be frowned upon. However, to her surprise she found herself engulfed in his own arms, filled with the familiar presence of her brother.

“Naruto!”

The others watched the two siblings greet each other enthusiastically with a smile, many happy to see their leaders so overjoyed.

“I missed you sister…”

“I missed you too…”

They parted and Sakura brought the tip of her sleeve to dry her tears discreetly. Naruto turned to Gaara, not bothering to hide his glistening eyes.

“I’m glad to see you’ve taken good care of my Sakura. I’d hate to have to end our alliance here and now.” He joked. Gaara frowned and Sakura, recognizing that her husband was taking her brother’s words too literally, intervened.

“He’s jesting, Naruto is not the type to break a promise, so smile.” She said in a low voice to him, barely heard by anyone. Gaara smiled at Naruto, who patted the Wind Leader’s arm.

“Glad you all made it here safely. We got here this morning and found Sound already settled in. Uchiha said that as soon as his Northern Allies arrive, we should begin.

“What sort of defensive preparations have your men made in case of an attack?” Temari asked Neji, who scoffed at her.

“We’ve stationed guards around our entire Eastern perimeter, and we have a small squad outside, ready to attack at any sign of trouble.” Kakashi intervened with a smile, familiar with the Hyuuga’s traditional ways.

“I see. We traveled light, so in case of an attack, we’re retreating towards the dunes to the East, where we can use our terrain to strike back if we are followed.” Temari shared part of their battle plans, knowing that they were probably being spied on, and hoping to lead their enemies into a trap. Kakashi nodded, and a bell rang.

“It seems we are starting. Let’s go.” Naruto’s cheerfulness was gone, replaced with a somber determination. He led his men back to the Western area, intent on entering by his entrance. Sakura took her own place at her husband’s side, with Temari behind her. She schooled her features into a placid look, to hide her internal turmoil.

With Gaara’s nod, the doors opened, revealing a large round table, surrounded by chairs, all made of the same stone that created the ancient castle they were currently on. The table was etched with several carvings, depicting the Goddess, the Weapons and the Dark Dragon, and Gaara made his way towards the seats by the Ruby Bow. Across from them, Naruto was standing by the carving of the Emerald Axe. To their right was a dark haired man, with an unpleasant smile sitting alone by the Onyx Blade. To their left was a couple, an orange haired male and a blue haired female, both covered in furs, standing by the Sapphire Spear.

“Please, sit.” The dark-haired man’s cold voice sent shivers to Sakura’s spine, but following her husband’s lead, she took a seat at the table, Temari standing behind her, and Sai standing behind Gaara. Naruto and the other two also sat, and the dark-haired man smiled.

“I am Lord Sasuke Uchiha, and I have gathered us all to discuss several subjects of interest of all.” He started his spiel, but was quickly interrupted by one of the Northerners.

“I have heard you spread rumors of an alliance between us. There is no alliance between the South and the North. Winter is approaching and we do not fight in the Winter.” The orange-haired man spoke sharply, and Sakura quickly looked to her husband, who had his eyes narrowed. Knowing that the South did not have the support of the North made this a very different tale. However Sasuke Uchiha kept smiling.

“I am certain you will join me as soon as you see my victories in the battlefield, Pein-sama.” Sasuke spoke with a cruel smile.

“You speak of victories, yet no war has been declared, Sasuke.” Naruto noted. 

“Ah yes. I know I spoke of terms of peace, but that was merely a ruse to get you all here.” He removed a dagger from his cloak and Sakura saw everyone present tense up. Next to her, Gaara placed a hand on her arm. Sasuke stabbed the stone table with the dagger, and Sakura could swear she heard a deep rumble coming from the ground. His smile became a ferocious grin. “I am now declaring war, upon the Fire and Wind.”

With that explosive declaration, he turned around and left, leaving the rest of the occupants in shock. However, that moment was quickly over and Naruto and Gaara walked towards each other, intent on starting discussions. Instead of following them, Sakura motioned to Sai, who approached her.

“Grab that item I asked you to bring secretly, and then come to me.” She ordered. He nodded with his infuriating smile and Sakura took a deep breath before heading to the couple that was about to leave the room.

“Excuse me, Konan-sama.”

The blue-haired woman turned to face Sakura, her expressionless face momentarily causing the Kazehime to hesitate. However, she knew her mission to be of utmost importance and she persevered.

“I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. I am Sakura, princess of Fire and Kazehime of Wind.” The other woman nodded, giving Sakura hope to continue. She spotted Sai walking towards her and began her own plan of attack. “I found your flower to be gorgeous. I hear the North has beautiful stones and gold, mined from its deep mountains and I had to ask: what would you recommend that fits my unique complexion?” Sakura smiled.

Konan took a long time to respond, but she eventually did, in a smooth voice that Sakura did not expect to come from such a harsh looking woman.

“Rubies and diamonds.”

“I see, thank you. Ah, yes, I have brought you a gift.” Sakura motioned to Sai, who delivered the package with a deep bow. Sakura waited for Konan to open it, and see the fine midnight blue silk embroidered with zircon stones to mimic the night sky.

“Why do you gift me this?”

“I am new to this role, of being a leader of people. In Fire, women are nothing more than decoration. I heard tales about the North, and how the people there are equally made of strong steel and I had hoped to find a friend… I have learned that being at the top can be quite lonely, and that no matter what side you choose to be on in the upcoming war, that at least between us, there may be respect and friendship.” Sakura hoped that her earnest words would be the seed of change, that maybe she could win the North to their side, but most of all, she hoped she could get a new friend.

Konan’s silence stretched for what Sakura felt were years, but eventually she smiled.

“There is a merchant named Kakuzu that visits Suna every fortnight. If you visit him, you may find a letter from me, and he would be willing to carry one from you, for a price. I did not come prepared to find such an earnest offer of friendship, so I did not prepare a gift. I hope you will accept this, however.” Konan removed the platinum flower from her hair and placed it atop Sakura’s hair with a kind touch. Sakura smiled happily at the other woman, and gently grabbed her hand in a soft handshake.

“I am most pleased to meet you Konan-sama.”

“Likewise, Sakura-hime.”

She watched them leave the room with a smile, and a puzzled Sai behind her. Once they could no longer be seen, the pale male addressed her.

“What was the purpose of this?” He asked.

“I planted seeds, that might one day bloom into the flower of victory.” Sakura replied with a smile, before turning around to join her husband and her brother, who were so deep in discussion they missed her small battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are beginning to spice up, and soon we'll see some real combat. We have new characters making an appearance, and old characters showing up again. I hope you've all enjoyed it and please look forward to another chapter next week!


	9. A Lonely Princess

The war had started and Sakura was alone. Kankuro and Shikamaru were the only two still in Suna, for Temari, Sai and Gaara had all gone to fight. She tried to keep herself busy by doing all the paperwork destined to the Kazekage, but even that couldn’t keep her mind off of things. Kankuro was always busy by the Army Center, managing supplies, people and recruits. Shikamaru was always at the Logistics Department, commanding army movements and trying to predict enemy choices. She barely saw either of them, Ino being her sole companion.

“Sakura, what do you even plan to do in combat? You don’t know how to fight like Temari-sama, and you’re not a commander of men like Shikamaru.” Ino replied to another one of Sakura’s complaints.

“I just feel so cooped up in here. I can barely even leave the Kazekage tower…” She complained and her maid rolled her eyes.

“Yeah well that asshole already had you kidnapped once by accident. Now he has an actual reason to kidnap you so your safety is pretty important at the moment.”

Sakura sighed again and dismissed Ino, not interested in being lectured by her.

The following day she visited Shikamaru at Logistics, finding him leaning over a large map, filled with little figurines.

“What are you doing?” she asked. He looked at her in surprise, not expecting to see her there.

“Updating army movements. Red is ally and black is enemy.”

Sakura approached the map, looking at the two large concentration of figures around one side and another, smaller concentration to the other side. She noticed that there were other pockets of red around the map, but only two main places of black.

“Is the enemy only attacking us from these two places?” She asked.

“Yes. These two locations lead to two Oases, which Sound’s army needs if they are going to ever mount any sort of real invasion to Wind. They aren’t well-equipped to traversing our deserts, therefore they need to be able to establish forward bases if they ever want to be able to make any progress.” Shikamaru explained. Sakura took a second and started giggling. He looked at her in surprise and she smiled at him.

“You said our deserts. You’ve really become a Wind man, haven’t you Shikamaru?” Sakura smiled at her friend kindly, happy that he found a spot for himself.

“I have you to blame. You’re the one that brought me here.” Shikamaru answered.

“I don’t think you’re blaming the right girl. You should be blaming my older sister, Temari. You became pretty invested in Wind after that one mission with her.” Sakura teased him, and had the pleasure to see her usually composed friend blush.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He denied, but although Sakura didn’t buy it, she chose not to tease him further, her eyes noticing something odd about the map.

“Why are these three red figurines different from the rest?” She asked, pointing at the small red items she was speaking of.

“Those represent Sai, Temari and Gaara-sama.” Shikamaru answered pointing at each one as he went along. Sakura analyzed the map again, with her newfound knowledge and quickly noticed something odd.

“Why is Gaara holding this position practically all by himself, considering all the black around him?” Sakura asked, confused as to why their tactician would put their leader in such a precarious position.

“Because it is Gaara-sama, the one man army.”

Sakura had to leave shortly after that, when others arrived needing Shikamaru’s assistance, but his words stayed on her mind.

_It’s probably something related to the Ruby Bow. But still, I don’t like that he’s all alone there._

Sakura spent the entire week pondering on Gaara’s position, and wanting to perhaps schedule a visit to him. She thought of how to do it, and eventually called on Kankuro to discuss the matter with him.

“Absolutely not.” Was his adamant refusal.

“Why not? According to Shikamaru, they won’t be receiving reinforcements soon due to rain in Sound delaying their troops. It’s the perfect time.” Sakura explained, hoping that Kankuro would see reason. She couldn’t tell him that there was something in her telling her that Gaara needed her presence. That would make her seem emotional, and her experiences in Konoha told her that when trying to get something to happen, you needed to be calm and logical, for men never understood the power of a woman’s intuition.

“Your presence is required here. We need you to go over paperwork.”

“I can do that when I return. Besides, with the war ongoing, there’s barely anything to look over, since all army reports are being directed to Shikamaru, and trade is at a low.” Sakura tried to keep her patience, repeating the words calm and logical in her head like a mantra. Kankuro finally looked her in the eye, and averted his gaze almost immediately.

“You’re needed here for insurance.”

“If this is about Fire…”

“It’s not about Fire, and you cannot go. This conversation is over.” Kankuro turned around, clearly dismissing her, but Sakura would not give up. His demeanor was starting to make her very suspicious and she would not let him avoid her.

“Kankuro, I am asking you this as your sister first, tell me what is this talk of insurance.” Sakura narrowed her eyes, hoping that he would not force her hand.

“Sakura, you do not want to know.” He finally turned to face her again, and Sakura moved in for the kill.

“As your leader, I demand you explain yourself. **Now.** ” She commanded forcefully, keeping her face cold, showing her superior rank and upbringing. Kankuro sighed, but gave up.

“Gaara is the leader of Wind yes, but he is not loved. He is respected and feared, but very few of his subjects love him. When you arrived, a pretty, charismatic princess, I made a plan with my sister. We paraded you around with your humanitarian work, so that even if nobody loved my brother, they’d at least love you. And we succeeded. Many recruits enlist to fight for you, your presence motivates them and people everywhere adore their new prin-!”

Sakura slapped Kankuro, not allowing him to finish his sentence.

“You! I should…” With one deep breath, Sakura left before she called any attention to herself or Kankuro, not interested in making a public scene. She fumed all the way to her room, locking herself in, bolting both doors so that nobody could enter, not even Ino, who had a key.

_I thought I was respected as a person! I thought they cared about me! They’ve been using me for their own purposes just like Konoha did!_

Sakura fought back the tears trying to spill from her eyes, settling herself on the window, watching the street. She envied the common folk that walked past, leading normal lives, people who could choose their own partners, people who weren’t used as a object. She stayed there until the sun went down, and Ino came to her. She heard her maid try to open the door only to find it locked.

“Sakura? Is everything okay?”

Sakura opened the door, letting her friend in, and quickly locked the door behind her, returning to her post by the window.

“Ino, I want to run away from here.”

After explaining everything to her best friend, Sakura couldn’t hold back her tears anymore, sobbing on her maid’s lap.

“Oh Sakura, don’t be that way. Didn’t you say you loved going to the orphanages and the hospital?”

“I did!”

“And didn’t you say that you loved doing charity work and donating to those in need?”

“I did!”

“Then does it matter if it was all a ploy? If you got to really help people and make a difference in their lives, isn’t it worth it?”

Sakura faced Ino in anger.

“I’m not a thing! I’m a person! A human being! I get what they wanted to do, I do! But I’d rather be asked, talked to like a person, instead of used like a object! It’s the principle of it all!” She yelled, making Ino flinch. She had never been yelled at by Sakura. The princess, seeing her maid upset, quickly deflated, returning to her position by the window. The two women stayed silent for a while longer, until Ino spoke.

“You should talk to the Kazekage about it. From what I’ve seen, he’s never seen you as a thing.” Ino suggested in a small voice.

“He’s in a entrenched position on a village by the border, how can I even get to him…” Sakura whispered, looking to the rising moon.

“Baki-sama, captain of the guard arrived yesterday, to acquire supplies for the Kazekage. He could take you with him.” Ino supplied. Sakura turned to her, hope sparkling in her eyes.

“Ino, find a way to get him here. And make me a travel pack, with the tunics Gaara gave me, the ones he called pragmatic.”

“Of course, my lady.”

Ino was about to leave the room when Sakura stopped her:

“Ino… Thank you, and… I’m sorry.”

With a smile and a bow, the blonde left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the most exciting chapter, it's a bit of a set-up time, but I hope everyone enjoys it all the same! Please look forward to another one next week!


	10. Silence

_Kill them all! Crush them, break them, hear their bones crack under pressure!_

“Sir, no sign of the enemy. Should we break for a meal?”

_Splatter his blood on the wall! Paint it red!_

“Leave a man posted at the watchtower in case another wave comes. Make sure to separate a portion for him to eat once we're done.”

_Eat their flesh! Feast on their blood! Human flesh tastes best!_

“Sir! Here's your meal! Good work out there, they didn't even make it past the walls!”

_Kill him, feed him to his friends, watch them suffer!_

“Haru, how's it going with the Baker's daughter? Half your pay goes to buying her rice cakes!”

_Smother their laughter in blood! Silence their words by crushing their voices!_

“Nakia! When I get back, I'm going to propose a courtship, you'll see.”

_Gauge his eyes out so he may never glance at his beloved again!_

“Heh, her dad will miss your money lining his pockets!”

_Murder the insolent wench who won't stop talking! Rip her throat out!_

“How about you, Nakia? Find a guy who can put up with you yet?”

_Crush their bodies together, blend their blood and make it rain!_

“Hah, you put up with me Haru! I don't plan on finding anyone!”

_Kill kill kill kill kill kill kill!_

“Ah come on, even Gaara-sama found someone. You can do it too!”

_Rage! Blood! Murder! I want their deaths! Kill them! Kill them!_

“Haru, Nakia. Gaara-sama wants some peace, can't you two eat in silence for once?”

_Kill him too! Murder them all! See the shock and betrayal in their eyes before the life is snuffed out of them!_

“I don't mind.”

_Raaaaaaaaaaaargh!_

“Look it's Baki-taicho! He's back! Is that…

_..._

Gaara turned around from his perch atop a destroyed wall to see the captain of his personal guard and his wife, looking at him with a small smile. She was clutching a small pack, and was dressed in the robes he had chosen for her, the same color as the ones he usually wore. Next to her, Baki was looking at him cryptically, and Gaara knew what he was thinking.

_..._

Gaara wanted to yell at his captain, demand that he bring her back to safety, for it was not uncommon for Sound’s forces to make it past the wall before being completely cleaned up. He was afraid of what she might see, of who she might see if she looked into his eyes.

_..._

Having her here was risky, but he could protect her from harm. The problem was if he could protect her from himself. He still remembered all the years his siblings avoided him, afraid of him. He knew dark rumors still flew around the markets, calling him a demon. She had never been afraid of him, she was pure, and he cared so much for her. He wanted her to care for him too.

_..._

“Sakura-hime! Please come sit with us and eat!”

_..._

Gaara knew that he might be destroying his future with her for these precious moments of peace, but after spending so many years to silence it, this war brought it back, to haunt his every minute. He wondered what was so special about her, to completely shut down the demon inside him.

_...  
_

Gaara watched as she talked to his squad, smiling at everyone and getting to know their names. She hadn't talked to him yet, probably afraid that he was going to send her back. The rational part of him wanted to, but the relief her presence brought him won in the end. A bowl of food was brought for her, and Gaara watched as his men and women had their spirits lifted by her presence, smiles all around. The meal finished cheerfully, and it was a revived squad that returned to their posts once Gaara called the break over. He stayed with Sakura and Baki, waiting until everyone had headed off to talk to them.

“Please don’t be upset at Baki-san. I did pull rank on him to force him to take me here.” Sakura was the first to speak. Gaara was no longer upset at anyone but himself, so he just nodded at her, not knowing what to speak.

“I will show Sakura-hime to her place, at the town center, and provide her with the appropriate instructions.” Baki offered and Gaara nodded again. The two of them left, and Gaara closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

_..._

Sakura’s magic extended beyond her presence it seemed, and Gaara took a unusual sigh of complete relief. He stayed sitting on his perch for a while longer, enjoying the silence before finally rising to go to his own post, on top of the bell tower. Baki found him there, watching the horizon with great interest.

“I have settled Sakura-hime at the town center, she chose to stay at your room. I have told her where she may and may not go, and to run to the town center whenever she hears the bell.”

“Baki… Thank you.”

Gaara had known Baki his whole life, the older man being his mentor and friend for many years. He promoted him to captain of his personal guard the moment he had become Kazekage, and Baki had been one of the few people to know about his personal hell. He bowed respectfully and left to fulfill his own duties.

Gaara enjoyed the silence and the breeze for a few minutes longer before he felt the familiar rumble of metallic feet on sand telling him that another attack was quickly approaching them. He tried feeling for Sakura’s own nimble steps, but could not locate her, so he opened his eyes, pulling out his bow to sharpen his vision, trying to locate his wife. He found her at the hospital, and was immediately worried, for the attack was coming from the western side, exactly where the hospital was located. Gaara rang the bell, and soon his men started moving into position. Sakura also started moving and Gaara quickly noticed she wouldn’t be able to reach the town center before the attack hit.

Summoning his sand he teleported to her, causing a squeak to erupt from her lips.

“Stay here. Do not exit this building.”

“Gaara… What…”

“Do not leave until either myself or Baki come for you.”

“Okay…”

Gaara nodded at her and left quickly from the window, jumping out without any hesitation. He heard something from Sakura on his descent, but he didn’t care, more concerned with reaching the wall in time, a dark chuckle echoing in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter that is completely in Gaara's point of view! It's quite different from the usual ones, and I hope that the unusual style is appreciated. Today's chapter is a little earlier than usual, and I hope everyone enjoys it! Please look forward to next week!


	11. A Princess at War

Sakura watched the approaching army in fear. It was one thing to see five little figurines on Shikamaru’s map, but watching fifty armored men, baring all kinds of weapons, some of which Sakura couldn't even name was not something she was prepared for. Standing proudly on top of the small wall was a sole figure clad in red, her husband, the one thing standing between that army and her hideout. She read enough novels to know that those were insurmountable odds, and that she was about to witness the end of the Land of Wind. 

_ I shouldn't have run away from the safety of Suna, no matter how upset I am.  _

Sakura thought of the children at one of the orphanages she had visited and hoped that they would be treated kindly by their future conquerors. 

Sakura stayed by the window, watching the black mass grow closer, and she spotted a few Wind soldiers taking cover in the shade of nearby buildings. They were the men and women she had met earlier, but they were outnumbered. She had counted only ten, and as the enemy approached, she could see they had more men than her original estimate. Sakura thought about running, but she knew she'd never make it to Suna by herself, especially without a navigator. To her the desert always looked the same, harsh, hot and unforgiving. She thought about recruiting one of the men to her escape plan, but she knew none of them would abandon their commander, especially not for a coward woman. The invaders stopped a few meters short of the wall, and Sakura wondered why they hadn't advanced yet. Gaara still stood alone, and she assumed they were discussing something. She was too far away to hear anything, and could only hope that a diplomatic solution could be found. 

The stilldom made her more nervous than the approach, the uncertainty of what would happen eating away at her nerves, Sakura quickly growing more restless, wanting to know what was going on, was about to push herself off the window to try and get closer, when everything happened at once. 

An explosion of sand came first, completely obscuring her view of the army and Gaara, creating a cloud of dust and sand. She quickly covered her mouth and nose, but noticed that the cloud wasn't moving with the wind, staying stationary. One man from Sound made it out of the cloud, looking confused and disoriented, but he was quickly jumped on by two Wind soldiers, who executed him on the spot. Sakura averted her eyes from the gruesome decapitated man to the cloud who was beginning to settle, only to see something even worse. By the wall her husband fought, his bow smaller, a shape that looked like a slim crossbow. It rested in his right hand, shooting fiery bolts towards anyone who dared turn their backs to it. With his left hand, Gaara controlled the sands, and Sakura finally understood why he was called a one man army. He weaved sand like a painter, with large strokes, painting the ground with the blood of his enemies. She saw cocoons, whips, and waves, all crushing, maiming and breaking his opponents as if they were made of clay. Their heavy metal armor seemed to do nothing compared to his force, the occasional man sent flying like a doll, screaming in fear. 

Sakura’s heart pounded in her chest, every cell in her body yelling at her to run away, but she found herself frozen in fear. She knew that the heroes were almighty, but she never expected this level of carnage. It was unfair even, and Sakura pitied the men who had been sent to their deaths.

_ Now I understand why there were no wars. How can anyone win if everyone has a monster of their own?  _

As soon as it started, it was quickly over. Gaara was the one left standing, his men having dispatched whoever tried to escape. 

“Sakura-hime.”

Sakura squeaked in fear, turning around to see whoever had sneaked up on her, only to find one of the women from Gaara’s squad, the one called Nakia. She took a shaky breath to calm herself, bringing a unsteady hand to her chest. She could feel the rapid pace of her heart, and the cold sweat running through her body. 

“Y-yes?” Sakura stuttered, still too shocked by what she had just witnessed. 

“I should take you to your quarters. You don't want to be around for the next part.”

“There's more?” Sakura’s voice was several pitches higher than usual, and the other woman smiled in understanding. Nakia too remembered the first time she had seen the Kazekage in action. She had emptied her stomach, and she was a soldier. She admired Sakura’s attempt at composure. 

“The fight is over, but we have to burn the bodies. Trust me, that's even worse than what you just saw.”

Sakura nodded hesitantly, hoping her legs would be strong enough to carry her to the town center. She took a tentative step and found that she was more solid than she expected, and even her heartbeat was starting to return to its normal pace. The two women made their way to the ground floor in silence, Sakura still trying to recover, and Nakia trying to give her space. When they exited through a wide gap where there once was a wall, they spotted Gaara, and Sakura almost fainted at his sight. 

He was covered in blood and sand, making for a gruesome picture. Sakura blinked and he came into focus, and she saw pieces of other red things sticking to him, realizing what they might be, she felt a irrepressible sickness swell within her. Sakura turned to the side and heaved, trying to keep herself together. A breeze passed by, carrying the smell of the battlefield to her and she couldn't control herself any longer. 

“Sakura-hime! Are you okay? Quickly, someone get her some water!”

After her incident at the hospital grounds, Sakura didn't see her husband again until the sun was setting. When he entered the room they were occupying, Sakura held her breath, but a quick glance showed her he was clean, and back to the normal Gaara she knew. She released her breath in a sigh of relief, but memories of the battle quickly caused her to tense up in fear. 

She avoided his gaze, staying by the cot set for her, which she had earlier pulled to be as far away from his as the room allowed. She had wanted to find a different room, but was too afraid that he might be upset. 

“I have come to take my things to the room next door. You can rest easy, I would not harm you.”

Sakura watched as he moved about the room, gathering his personal objects. She thought to all the times they had spent together in Suna, and how he had always treated her kindly and with respect, going even as far as spoiling her. She watched the hard line of his mouth and the sad glaze on his eyes as he packed up his clothes. 

_ He probably hates himself more than I ever could…  _

“Wait. You don't have to go. Stay here.”

He stopped his work and turned to face her, his expression more closely resembling the ones she was familiar with. 

“You're afraid of me. Why do you ask me to stay?” He stated, and Sakura knew that she couldn't get her next words wrong. 

“Yes, I'm afraid. But you've never done me any harm, or given me any reason to fear for myself. We started building a partnership, and I don't want to throw that away because of what I saw today.” Sakura noticed he still didn't look convinced and closed her eyes, hoping he'd understand her. “I want to trust you. I want to trust that you'd never turn that against me. I want to trust you so that I don't have to be afraid of you.”

She opened her eyes to see him, and watched him take his time to process her words. 

“But you're still afraid now.”

“Yes. But I was taught that fear is something to be conquered, and I will do that. Your siblings and your men, they don't fear you anymore. I won't fear you either.” Sakura said courageously, thinking to the lessons she had learned in Konoha. A princess is always regal and fearless, Kakashi had told her.  


After a few seconds Gaara nodded to her, and stopped his packing choosing to sit on his cot.

“I hoped that you would have never seen this, because I was afraid of your reaction. I see now that you are much stronger than even me. I ran from you, and I was ready to give up. I should have trusted you, I should have trusted your desire to build a future with me.” Gaara bowed deeply in apology, his head practically touching the floor. Sakura smiled at his action, and got up, dragging her cot nearer to his. Once they were within acceptable distance to her, she sat down, and reached over to place her hand on his head. 

“Just promise me that you will protect me. Protect us both. I don't want either of us dying anytime soon. I was also really afraid of dying today.”

He reached out to grab the hand that was resting on his head, and rose up to face her, interlacing their fingers as he did so. 

“The only reason why I fought so savagely today was because I was very concerned about you, and how close you were to the battlefield. I wanted to make sure none of them even came close to you. I'm not always covered in blood and guts after a battle.” Gaara explained, hoping that would ease her mind. “There are many fates to a woman in a war that are worse than death, and I would die before any of them befell you.”

“Gaara…”

That night, Gaara slept peacefully for the first time in many years. Sakura did not sleep as well, spending many hours trying to reconcile the kind husband she knew to the ruthless one she just discovered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have our first witnessed battle of the war, and I wanted to explore the repercussions of it. In the shows, people are always so clean after fighting, and it always seemed so unrealistic to me. Gaara struggling with acceptance is a theme I enjoy, and we see that he is capable of inspiring his soldiers, and conquering his loved ones. Please look forward to another chapter next week!


	12. A Princess Warned

When Sakura woke up the following day, she found herself alone, the cot next to her already cold and organized. There was a small ration next to a jug of water, a breakfast intended for her, but the water was no longer cool and the ration was cold. A glance at the sky told her it was late in the morning, and she had slept in much more than usual. 

Her sleep had eluded her the previous night, her mind spinning with so much information in so little time. Kankuro’s plot, Gaara’s prowess, her own role in all of this. Sometimes Sakura wondered if her life was destined to be this way from the start, or if her choices made any difference. Whenever she was around Gaara she believed in herself the most, but around others she thought that maybe everything she did was preordained. 

Shaking the deterministic thoughts out of her head, Sakura set off to change her clothes, realizing she had slept in the same garment she had arrived with. She also hoped for a bath, but her sensibilities told her that she would probably have to make do with the water Gaara had left for her. By the time she considered herself presentable, the sun was high in the sky, and Sakura left her room in search of lunch. A quick conversation with Haru, the soldier who doubled as a cook let her know that lunch was still an hour away, and Sakura set off to find Gaara, intent on discovering his stance on Kankuro’s machinations. 

She first tried the bell tower, and then the soldier's quarters, but her search was unsuccessful. Sakura was making her way back to the city center when she spotted a small group of people, Gaara’s distinct red hair among them. She picked up the pace to join them, and soon spotted Sai too. He had unfamiliar soldiers with him, and seemed to be distressed. 

“Gaara-sama I come bearing terrible news. We must discuss this privately at once!”

The two entered the building, and Sakura struggled to get past the curious soldiers, who were all trying to hear what they were saying from the outside. A frown from her scattered them, and Sakura made her entrance. They were facing away from her, and before Sakura could call out to them, she heard her name. 

“It's about Sakura-hime.”

“What about me?” She interrupted Sai, arms crossed, a unpleasant expression on her face. She had a guess as to who sent Sai after her. 

“Sakura-hime! I came here to warn Gaara-sama of your escape… Although it seems he is aware.” Sai smiled, and Sakura glared at its falseness.

“Sakura did not escape. I sent for her.”

Both Sai and Sakura turned to Gaara, surprised at his claim. His face gave nothing away, and Sakura smiled in victory. He was on her side, and her battle was already won. 

“But I heard…” Sai muttered, his previous composure lost. 

“I sent Baki for her in secret as to not alert any potential spies to her movements. We intend to return to Suna soon enough that her presence won't be missed. You may return to your post at my sister's side.” Gaara dismissed Sai, who bowed muttering his usual niceties. The pale male left shortly after, leaving the two leaders alone. 

Gaara motioned to the stairs with his head, inviting Sakura to follow him, and he guided them to their rooms, where two hot bowls of rice and curry were waiting for them.

“Haru told me you were hungry and looking for me.” He motioned towards the small table, where the two sat to eat. Sakura quickly started devouring her meal, for she had forsaken last night's dinner and the day’s breakfast. Gaara took his own time, and she was finished before he was halfway through. 

“So about this escaping business. I wasn't running away. Don't believe them.” Sakura addressed the elephant in the room, knowing that he was probably curious. 

“Obviously. You asked Baki to take you to me. That's an awful escape plan.” Gaara deadpanned and Sakura couldn't help but giggle. 

“You're right, that is a terrible plan.” she smiled. Gaara nodded before raising his eyebrow, which she knew to be his request for elaboration. “I recently discovered something your siblings did that upset me very much. I couldn't stay in Suna any longer so I ran here, to see if you were in on it.”

Gaara’s eyes narrowed, and Sakura saw there that he was not aware of how his siblings had manipulated her, and she felt herself relaxing in relief. 

“What did they do to you.” His voice had a lower tone to it that surprised Sakura. He sounded angry and she quickly tried to pacify him. 

“It wasn't anything harmful. They weren't hurting me. They were just…  They were using me and my image to better your public image. All the humanitarian visits, parties, charities, they were all meant to make your people love me, because they don't love you. I was upset because I thought you all respected me as a person, that my days of being used as a object for the sake of royalty were over. I felt… betrayed.”

Sakura grew sadder with each word, thinking about how much she had been happy with her newfound reality, only to find it was a lie.

“I'm sorry. This will not happen again. Nobody will force you to do anything you hate, I promise.” Gaara growled, clutching his fork with force. Sakura placed a hand on his arm to calm him, and the effect was instant. 

“It's not that I hated them. I actually really liked helping people, especially the children from the orphanage and the hospital. I just want people to ask me, to tell me, instead of using me without my knowledge.” Sakura sighed. Having had time to think about it during her trip with Baki, she had ameliorated. “You don't have to be angry about it, I suppose I overreacted a little.” Sakura smiled at him, and was happy to see him noticeably relax.

They stayed in the same position for longer, and Sakura quickly became aware that her hand was still resting on his arm. It was warm and hard beneath her soft fingers, taut with strong muscle. She reflexively twitched her fingers, and that action resulted in a small reaction from him, a slight narrowing of the eyes that she didn’t miss. Sakura tested her boundaries, slowly moving a finger in a circular fashion, drawing circles on him. She could see his resolve slowly cracking apart, much to her amusement. She tried moving her hand closer to his, but before she could reach it, he pulled away, practically jumping out of his seat.

“I should return to my duties.” With a sharp nod, Gaara quickly exited the room, practically running away.

Sakura wasn’t unfamiliar with the effect that she could have on men, knowing that from her experiences at Konoha’s court. Being a princess had never prevented her from discovering romance with a few of Konoha’s nobles. She knew that touches could have power, and she had sneaked enough hidden touches and kisses to have a pretty good idea on what people liked. Gaara’s embarrassed reaction to her told her that he may not have had any chance to play around like she had.

A knock on the door startled her from her thoughts and with a soft enter, Sakura found herself being visited by Nakia, the loud female soldier.

“Sakura-hime, I know you haven’t had a chance to properly clean yourself yet, so I asked the Captain if I could take some time off from my duties to show you to the women’s bath.” Nakia opened with a bright smile, surprising Sakura with her friendliness.

“That’s very kind of you.” Sakura hid her embarrassment behind her smile.

“Don’t worry! Pick up your stuff, we want to get in before the turn shift, when all the guys are busy. You wouldn’t believe it how creative they can get just to steal a simple peek! Us girls gotta stay together, ya know?”

As Sakura grabbed the supplies Ino had set aside for her in her pack, Nakia kept speaking enthusiastically, never once stopping to take a breather. She continued talking all the way downstairs, and to the northern edge of the village, where there were two bath houses. Sakura didn’t know they were there, and was surprised to find them in perfect condition.

“We take good care to not let any destruction come to these. None of us know anything about pulling the water from that Oasis a few paces North, so if anything happens to the plumbing, we’re all fucked! Oh damn, I shouldn’t speak this way in front of a princess like yourself.” Nakia slapped her forehead hard, leaving a small red mark there, and Sakura couldn’t help but be amused.

“That’s okay, I don’t think anyone has spoken to me like this before. It’s quite different.” Sakura smiled at the tall, tanned soldier, who looked at her in surprise.

“Really? Well I always thought Temari-sama was worse than me when it came to cursing. She can put some of the guys to shame!” 

Sakura thought to her time with Temari and while she did always think her more brash and manly than the other noblewomen she knew, she never saw her sister in law as the kind to outdo soldiers.

“I have never heard her speak anything like that.”

“Huh. That’s odd.”

The two entered the bathhouse that was made for the women, and Sakura was impressed to see the many pools filled with crystalline water. 

“Not good for drinking sadly. Some smart guy told us not to, cause of something he called bact-something. But we can wash in it just fine. Make yourself comfortable, I’ll keep an eye out so nobody gets any funny ideas.” Nakia turned around to give Sakura some privacy, while keeping an attentive posture, making sure nobody would dare get near.

Sakura removed her clothes and dipped a foot in the water, to test its temperature. It was cold, causing a shiver to run through her. However, the cool water was exactly what she needed after the heat and the days without washing. Sakura quickly slid in, sighing when she could feel her dried skin softening in the water. She spent several minutes just enjoying the water, running her fingers through her long hair. When she waded towards the edge where she had placed her cleansing oils, she looked to Nakia’s rigid stance and felt bad for making her stand guard.

“You can relax, I don’t think anyone is going to try and disrespect Gaara by trying to glimpse me washing myself.” Sakura called out to the Suna warrior.

“I’m sorry Sakura-hime but you’re wrong. I know men, and every single one of them in this camp would gladly die just to say they saw your princessness naked. Well maybe not Baki-taicho. I hear he’s really dedicated to his wife.” Nakia replied, without relaxing from her stance.

“Well, you can at least relax a little, maybe sit down even? Also, your princessness is not an actual term, for princessness is not a word. The correct form is your highness.” Sakura immediately felt bad for correcting her as soon as the words came out of her mouth. She wondered if the woman soldier would dislike her or find her snotty. Instead, Nakia sat down laughing all the way.

“You’re right! Your princessness does sound wrong, doesn’t it? You gotta forgive me, but I never was any good at school. Fastest runner around, though. You should see it, I beat all the boys back home!”

Nakia kept talking about her past, her home and her journey to where she was now as Sakura finished washing herself. Sakura liked to listen to her, having a glimpse into a life that was so completely different to her own. Where she had dresses, tutors and strict palace rules, Nakia ran wild and free, and Sakura envied her. When she was finished, she stepped out and quickly began drying herself, paying special attention to her long hair. The last time she had went outside with wet hair, it quickly grew dirty from all the dust and sand in the wind. Sakura was almost finished when Nakia quickly jumped up and started running away from the entrance, disappearing from Sakura’s sight.

In shock, Sakura quickly finished wrapping herself up, hastily pulling on the tunic she was missing, covering her exposed breasts. She clutched her towel to her, looking around anxiously. Several minutes went by, and Nakia returned with a unconscious pale-looking man and a serious look on her face.

“Ya finished dressing? Grab your things and follow me. If this fella opens his eye, throw one of your oil bottles at him.” Nakia’s tone didn’t hold the same cheerfulness than before, and Sakura nodded, before blinking several times in surprise at what she had just agreed to do.

Nakia led them to the town square, stopping midway to let out a long, loud whistle, that startled Sakura. It sounded a lot like a bird, and it hurt her ears by how shrill it was. When they arrived at the town center, there were several soldiers there, including Gaara, all matching Nakia’s serious look. She released the man she had been dragging behind her, and kicked him to the center. He groaned and Sakura wondered if maybe that was too harsh a punishment for a attempt at a peek.

“I found him when I was guarding Sakura-hime’s shower. He must have heard us and came to look in. Unlucky for him, cause nobody can outrun me.” Nakia quickly said. Sakura took another look at the pale man who was starting to wake up and was surprised to see the blue eyes on him. Upon further thought, she realized he was too pale, his hair was blonde, and his eyes blue, colors that were way too unusual in Suna men.

“What a bitch, un.” He groaned.

“State your name and purpose, spy.” Baki said, confirming the suspicion that was beginning to settle in Sakura’s head.

“I’m not a spy, yeah! I’m from the North, my name’s Deidara and I came with a message to him!” The Northerner pointed to Gaara, surprising everyone. 

“We can’t trust what he has to say. I will interrogate him properly and then report, Gaara-sama.” Baki began to move to the fallen blonde when Gaara stopped him.

“Wait. Tell me your message, and then I will decide what to do with you.” Gaara addressed the man who called himself Deidara.

“Sasori-danna says that Sasuke is planning on visiting the North soon and you don’t want him meeting up with Pein-sama. Fuck if I know what that means, or who Sasuke is. But he forced me to get here hidden and it sucked, un!” Deidara grumbled at the end of his message, and Sakura watched Gaara look saddened for the first time ever. Everyone was avoiding looking at him, and Sakura wondered what she was missing.

“Give him food and water. He leaves at night.” Gaara gave his order, and in a swirl of sand disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay, mother nature took my internet away from me for a couple days. We've surpassed the halfway mark, and we'll finally start entering the second arc of the story. There's still a lot of ground to cover and secrets to discover so please make sure to look forward to next week!


	13. A Princess in Action

Sakura hadn’t been able to truly speak to Gaara since the day of the cryptic warning by that man. They had returned to Suna the day after, and since their arrival, Gaara had spent most of his time either in his office or in his room, working. She had made several frustrated attempts to reach out to him, but was only met with silence and monosyllabic answers. Sakura was growing more and more frustrated with every passing day, getting upset with her husband for his emotional wall.

The warning kept floating in her mind, and Sakura spent many hours trying to think of how she could help the tense situation, until the answer came to her in a letter from her brother.

 

_ Dear Sakura, _

_ I am writing to you to share the great news! I am to be engaged to the Hyuuga Clan’s first born daughter, Hinata. I know you’ve always been fond of her, and I promise you I made the decision myself, for you are right, she is indeed a wonderful girl, who has kept me company in your absence. I am planning on hosting a great event in Konoha soon, to celebrate my engagement and to bolster army morale. It might be impossible, but I would hope to see you here for that day. _

_ Naruto _

 

When she finished reading, Sakura ran off, not listening to Ino’s cries that she was not properly dressed yet. Hair flying in the wind as she took the steps down, running to her husband’s office, surprising servants and guards as she passed them. Sakura didn’t care for the shocked stares and surprised gasps, not minding that she was wearing her long underskirt and a shirt that exposed her midriff, missing the sari wrap and showing much more skin than would be proper.

Upon reaching her husband’s office she burst in, not caring to knock or even check if he had someone with him. After entering, she stopped for a second and was surprised to find two councilmen and one councilwoman inside. The woman dragged her judgmental stare from head to toe, and Sakura glared back, not caring for her disdain.

“We’re done here.” Gaara broke the staring contest between the two women, dismissing the elders, who walked off in a haughty silence. Sakura stood to the side to watch them leave, exchanging a last glare with the other female before turning to her husband with a hair flip.

“I keep telling you she doesn’t like me.” Sakura opened with a small scoff.

“What brings you here in such a state?” Gaara motioned to her disarranged state, but Sakura didn’t care to reply to his question, choosing to go straight to the point instead.

“I have the solution to your problem. It’s right here.” Sakura handed him the letter she was clutching in her hand, and Gaara took it with a raised eyebrow. They remained in silence until he finished reading it, and he returned the letter to her with a look of mild annoyance.

“What is the point of this?” 

“This solves your problem of needing to prevent Uchiha from meeting with the leaders of the North.” Sakura replied confidently, trusting that he’d see her logic. His skeptical look quickly told her he didn’t, and Sakura elaborated further. “I can have Naruto invite them as a show of good faith to the North, and, we can talk to them, maybe even convince them to not join the South.”

Gaara returned to his work with a small head shake, dismissing Sakura, irritating her to no end.

“This is a very solid plan. Obviously you cannot send someone to the North without potentially risking showing your hand, and you don’t want to come across as too desperate, but this is the perfect cover for a meeting. I’m sure you have spies tracking Uchiha’s movements, so we can even time it so that when he goes to the North, he won’t find them there.” Sakura tried to hide her anger from her voice, trying to give Gaara another chance to listen to her properly.

“Sakura.” Gaara looked up and crossed his arms, facing her with a small frown. “This isn’t Konoha, where ballroom politics takes precedence. You should know this by now.”

She narrowed her eyes further, taking a few steps forwards, standing just before his table.

“There’s many things I disagree with Konoha, but ballroom politics are very important! There are things in this world that cannot be solved with brute strength and warrior honor alone! In difficult situations, a more delicate approach is needed. And what you need right now is to befriend Pein-sama!” 

“I am not in the habit of going to Konoha to play friends with someone I don’t know.” Gaara rose to meet her eyes, clearly upset with her words. 

“But you have to do this. I’ve seen the reports, Suna’s greatest source of food is trade, specifically trade with Sound. We’re currently at a small surplus since we’re producing more because of the rain season, but that will be over soon, and we will not be able to sustain a prolonged siege from the South. They keep sending men at us, and we need to break their lines and start going on the offense before our people starve to death! The North is famed for its strong warriors and fierce hunters, so if they join Sound, we won’t be able to resist an attack from both sides. But let’s say they don’t join them or us, if we’re at least able to secure some form of trade with them, we can at least last through to the summer, where even Sound’s flatland farms won’t be able to sustain their large numbers. And yes, I know better than anyone that you’re terrible at making nice with strangers, but so is Pein-sama, so you might even have a small advantage here. We have to try!” Sakura slammed her palm on the desk below her, facing Gaara head on, bright emerald eyes clashing with pale jade.

Their contest lasted for almost a minute, neither side willing to back down, until finally Gaara sat down with an audible sigh.

“You’re right.”

Sakura beamed in triumph, feeling the happiest she had been in a very long time.

“I’ll send a letter to Naruto and Konan-sama, your job is to make sure we can make it there in relative secrecy, since we absolutely do not want this getting out.” Sakura had the beginnings of a plan starting to form, and was eager to set it in motion. Gaara nodded to her and with a final smile, she turned around to leave until Gaara stopped her.

“Sakura.” He called out to her. “One last thing, don’t run around like this anymore. It’s not for others to see you in this state of undress.” Gaara’s words made her blush slightly, due to the implication they carried, and she agreed with a soft yes before exiting the room.

Upon arriving at her own quarters, she fended off Ino’s curious questions and quickly set off to write her two very important letters. Naruto’s was easy and was quickly finished, Sakura sending Ino off to take the letter to the postmaster. She spent the rest of the afternoon composing the one to Konan, and the sky was colored pink by the sunset when Sakura arrived at the stand owned by a Northern jewel merchant named Kakuzu.

“Ah, Sakura-hime, what pleasure to have you visit me. I am afraid I shall be leaving to the North tomorrow to procure new wares.” He greeted her with a bow.

“That’s perfect, for I was looking to buy those sapphire earrings you showed me the other day.” Sakura smiled at him and walked closer to the balcony. He presented the blue earrings to her and Sakura leaned in, discreetly pulling the letter from her brassiere. She slid it beneath the earring case, and then pulled away.

“They look wonderful, but I’m afraid I was looking for something with a bit more gold?” 

Kakuzu nodded, taking both earring case and letter with him. He showed her a necklace filled with gold and rubies, and Sakura bought it, making sure to slip him a few extra coins as she did, payment for his additional service.

“I hope you have a safe journey home.”

“Thank you, hime. Your patronage is very much appreciated.”

With a smile, Sakura returned home, her mission being completed. She did what she could, and now all she could do was wait for the results of her scheming. That night, Gaara joined her for dinner, making an effort to talk with her, which was all she wanted to make her life good again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An early chapter to compensate last week's late one. It's a bit of a setup, a sort of prologue to the second half of the story, and we see further elaboration on the current political state of the world. Feeding armies is almost as important as keeping them paid, and as a mostly desert-based country Wind struggles to be self-sufficient in that category. I hope everyone enjoys it and please look forward to some more action next week!


	14. A Princess Travels

They left under the cover of night, a small inconspicuous caravan, looking haggard and worn, as if it carried a poor family of merchants. Sakura stared at the broad back in front of her, noticing that there were small spots of red on his turban, from where his hair was sticking out. Next to him, was a taller back, one she was trying to ignore. She was still angry at him, for keeping secrets from her, but her husband claimed he was essential, and as such, Sakura supposed she'd have to tolerate his presence. Next to her, sitting uncomfortably on her camel was Ino, looking tired and worn, and Sakura felt bad for her, as she had been working tirelessly in the past two days. 

Their story was simple, Sakura had fallen ill with a simple Wind disease that everyone had gone through as children due to her lack of immunity while Gaara was off fighting in the war. Kankuro was looking after affairs with Shikamaru’s help, while Temari made sure to keep the army in one piece. She was worried that they could be found out, but Ino made sure to spread many rumors about Sakura’s state, after all, she had said, nothing lends more credibility to a claim than a good anecdote. As such, the market was now filled with stories on how Sakura-hime was so ugly in her sickness that her husband has preferred the battlefield instead. 

A few hours into their journey, Sai took Sakura’s side, with Ino closely following them, as Gaara led the group. Sakura remained in a stony silence, waiting for him to make the first move. After the silence stretched long enough that Sakura began to wonder if he was ever going to speak at all.

“Sakura-hime… I have a matter I wish to speak to you about. More accurately, I wish to offer you my apologies. I did not know that you weren’t aware of your role in improving Gaara-sama’s public image. If I had been aware of the scheme at hand, I would have informed Gaara-sama immediately.”

Sakura turned her head to face him, but he was not looking at her, choosing to keep staring into the distance. It was the first time she saw him without his annoyingly fake smile. His expression was guarded and somber, and she could see honesty in his eyes.

“You would have told him, but not me?” Sakura asked, curious about the specificity of his words.

“My loyalty is to Gaara-sama alone.” His reply came immediately and Sakura wondered what tragic story laid behind those heavy words. She sighed, already forgiving him. Sakura made a note to ask Gaara about Sai’s past later, and how it wove together with Gaara’s past.

“I forgive you, but there’s one final thing I wanted to say about this matter. I don’t know why your loyalty is exclusive to Gaara, but I believed we had become close enough to at least be considered friends. I even allowed you to call me by that infuriating nickname… While I have forgiven you for your unwitting role of accomplice, I am still upset to see our bonds of friendship were not strong enough to command at least some loyalty out of you…”

Sakura pulled the edges of her veil closer to her, hiding her face from view. She did not want to share her feelings with the world, and hoped that her travel companions would take a hint and leave her be. They did obey her unspoken wish, and both of them backed off, sticking together at the rear. Gaara however, slowed his pace, reducing the distance between him and the Kazehime, while still respecting her space.

Sakura remained alone until they set camp, and by then she was ready to smile and socialize as if nothing had happened. When she sat down, nobody could spot a crack on her.

“How much longer will we have to travel in secrecy like this?” Ino asked.

“Until we are safely inside the Hokage’s walls. We don’t know who might be watching the roads, or who those watchers report to.” Sai explained. Ino responded with an annoyed huff. Sakura knew Ino wouldn’t appreciate the long journey, or the annoyance of having to travel in secret, but it was crucial to the execution of Sakura’s plan.

The journey was indeed long, and their most difficult opponent became boredom. Gaara didn’t speak much, and Sakura spent most of her time immersed in her own thoughts. As such, Ino spent much of her time talking at Sai, who endured her chatter with surprising good humor. Although Sakura couldn’t help but notice his fake smile grow more strained with each day. Eventually their journey came to an end, and all parties were relieved to find themselves in the safety of Naruto’s castle.

He had been waiting for them, being notified of their incoming arrival by the guards posted at Konoha’s gate. As soon as Sakura dismounted and removed her veil and cloak, he embraced her in a tight hug. Until that moment she hadn’t realized how much she had missed him, and quickly melted into a teary smile. She returned the warm hug, burying her face on his shoulder.

“Oh sister, how I’ve missed you. There’s nobody here to call me an idiot anymore.” 

The siblings laughed as they split, big smiles on their faces. He moved from Sakura to Gaara, whom he offered his hand. Gaara hesitantly took it, and Naruto shook it enthusiastically, magnifying Gaara’s discomfort. Sakura smiled at how happy her brother seemed, all traces of his old gloom disappearing. 

“Naruto-sama, I’m certain our guests must be exhausted. Perhaps we should allow them to rest before anything else? Sakura-hime, I have made the arrangements per your request.” Kakashi quickly split Naruto from the Kazekage before an international incident could occur. Sakura nodded to her old mentor and turned to Ino.

“I asked Kakashi to send for my old nanny, Shizune. You’ll have two free days, until the eve of the party to yourself, so you can visit your parents.” Sakura addressed her maid with a smile. Ino dashed to Sakura for a hug, but remembering her position, she stopped just before with a deep bow.

“Thank you for your kindness, Sakura-hime.”

Sakura nodded with a smile, knowing that she would eventually be receiving the hug she just missed on. Ino left without wasting any time, and Kakashi led them to the Royal Wing, where they would be staying. When he passed a servant Sakura remembered to be named Izumo, he stopped.

“Izumo, will you take Gaara-sama’s servant to the room we set apart for him downstairs?”

Sai followed Izumo down the stairs to their right, which Sakura recognized to be the servant stairs and hoped that neither Gaara nor Sai knew that, for they would certainly be offended. She knew neither were used to Konoha’s habits. She would have to talk to Gaara bout it as soon as they got a moment alone.

As they walked the halls of Sakura’s childhood, the sunset colored them in a bright orange color, and she smiled at the memories she walked past, recalling how the sunset made everything look so different. Kakashi took them to a room near the one she called her own when she lived there as a princess. She knew this room to be reserved to any married siblings of the Hokage, but she still felt a pang of longing for the room she had grown up with.

“You may call the servants whenever you wish. Dinner will be served later than usual to allow you more time to rest, a gong will ring when you should begin dressing, and another for when dinner is served. Sakura-hime, I’m sure you remember the way to the dining room.”

“Of course. Thank you, Kakashi.”

With a short bow he left the two alone in the hallway, staring at the door in front of them. Sakura was the first to move, entering the room with confidence. At the palace, there was always someone watching, servants gossiped, and she knew that her first appearance with her husband would be everyone’s topic of interest. She did not want to stay in the hallway any longer than needed. Gaara hesitated before following her, looking around in surprise as soon as he entered the room.

She pointed at the door, and he quickly turned around to close it. When Sakura turned away from the door she was faced with the large singular empty bed in the room. She hadn’t yet breached that subject with Gaara, but the sigh behind her quickly told her that they would have to very soon.

“We’ll have to share the bed.” She said, not yet turning around to face him.

“That won’t be needed. There are couches here. I can take one of them.” Gaara threw himself atop one of the aforementioned couches, stretching himself across it to put his feet up.

“You don’t understand. The first thing that will happen tomorrow morning when we leave this room for breakfast, will be the servants fighting to see who gets to clean this room. And the first thing they’ll be looking to see is if we shared the bed. I do not wish for the kitchens to be filled with rumors on how I did not share the bed with my husband.” Sakura turned to face him, arms crossed and a stern frown on her face.

“There’s no need to get upset. It was only out of concern for you that I would choose the other options.” Gaara shrugged. Sakura softened at his words immediately. A part of her that she refused to acknowledge had been worried that he somehow was avoiding her for reasons that she didn’t want to dwell in.

“Thank you. There’s a few more things that I should talk to you about…”

Sakura spent the time until the first gong bell detailing several different customs from the Land of Fire to Gaara, to prevent any potential conflict. She noticed that he was mostly upset over the social differences, especially regarding her and Sai. She spent a lot of time explaining to him that she would not take offense for not being treated as his equal, and hoped that he wouldn’t try and put up a fight.

Upon hearing the first gong, Sakura called for the servants, so they could be dressed. She had to explain to Gaara that any dinner that Naruto invited them to would require formal wear from both of them. He grumbled a lot at that. When Sai arrived with his Kazekage robes she understood; the long red vest would probably be very stifling in Konoha’s more humid weather, and she immediately made a note to send Sai to her favorite seamstress later, to procure a more comfortable robe for Gaara.

Seeing Shizune again was a good thing for Sakura, and the two of them filled the silence by talking about the time they had been apart. Gaara and Sai listened to the two women in silence, both of them interested in the stories of Sakura’s past. Shizune spent a lot of time complimenting how much Sakura had grown, and how beautiful she had become.

“Tsunade-sama is coming over to the engagement party, just to see you and your new husband.”

“Really? Oh, that’s wonderful!”

Sakura’s particularly excited pitch caused Gaara to finally break his silence to ask who Tsunade-sama was.

“Tsunade-sama was Sakura-hime’s caretaker. She was the one who was there when Sakura-hime was born, and she looked after her until the princess turned sixteen.” Shizune explained. Sakura nodded.

“She’s the closest thing I have to a mother. How do I look?” Sakura turned around to face Gaara, who had been ready for a while. She was wearing a dress typical to Konoha, with a low cut, exposing the top of her breasts. Decorating her bare neck was a golden necklace filled with emeralds, that Gaara recognized as one of her wedding gifts. The skirt was long and flowing, flaring with every movement she made. The color was a soft green, matching his own eyes, and complimenting her pale complexion.

“Beautiful.” He answered. Sakura didn’t miss how his mouth hung a little, or how his eyes hadn’t left her cleavage. She smiled in triumph. Konoha’s dresses would never be practical under the harsh conditions of Suna, but they were designed to highlight a woman’s features, and were great for stunning men.

“Well, shall we head out then?”

The couple met Naruto and a few other select nobles at the dining room, and Sakura smiled proudly at Gaara’s attempts to engage in conversation with her brother. She spent most of her time listening to the other guests, but her eyes never left her husband’s figure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We arrive in Konoha, and we see yet again the social differences between the two places. In Konoha, Sakura is in her element, and we'll see her make great advancements. Please look forward to another chapter next week!


	15. A Princess in a Garden

Sakura paced anxiously in front of her guest, who watched her with timid curiosity. It was the day before the big party, and the leaders of Rain had just arrived the previous night. Sakura had made preparations to invite both Hinata, Naruto’s future wife and Konan to a garden lunch, while Naruto had requested Gaara and Pein’s presence at a hunt. She set it all up ahead of time with her brother, and she hoped her husband listened to the pointers she had given him that morning, but Sakura still worried about the success of her undertaking.

“Kazehime-sama, please sit down, your pacing will ruin your shoes.” Hinata’s small request barely reached Sakura, so low it was spoken. The princess sighed and faced her guest, embarrassed at her lack of manners towards her future sister.

“My apologies, Hinata. I have been a terrible hostess to you, ignoring you while we wait for our third member.” Sakura took her seat at the round glass table, which was filled with all manner of food and flowers.

“I understand that this is a delicate situation. I occasionally hear my father speaking of the fearsome Northern King and his wife. It is not unusual that you’d be so concerned, Kazehime-sama.” Hinata spoke in a low tone, surprising Sakura with her insight into the situation. Inviting Hinata had originally been simply a cover story for her meeting with Konan, but now Sakura regretted not having taken the time to reconnect with the girl before.

“I am surprised that Hyuuga-san would speak of certain matters in front of his female daughter. And please, we are to be sisters, so call me Sakura.” She smiled kindly at the blushing girl, hoping to follow Temari’s example and build a bond of friendship with her.

“I… Um… My father does not engage in such conversations in front of me…” Hinata’s blush had increased in intensity even more, worrying Sakura a little. She tried to calm her by gently touching her arm, but that only seemed to make things worse. Before Sakura could call for assistance, a servant entered, announcing Konan’s arrival. The two women turned to the door, both equally pale and slightly afraid.

Konan entered slowly, taking the time to observe her surroundings carefully. Sakura took note that her dress was of similar design to her own, but it was lined with fur, and Konan’s jewelry far outmatched both Sakura and Hinata’s. She made her way to the empty seat at the table, and sat down gracefully, surprising both girls, who had heard rumors that Northern women were rude and uneducated.

“Thank you for your invitation, Sakura-hime. I have never seen so many flowers before in my life.” Konan smiled at the Wind’s princess, who blushed slightly. Through her letters with Konan, she had grown to know the older woman a little, being especially familiar with her passion for flowers. Sakura had specifically chosen this garden, knowing that the flowers would be in full bloom.

“I remember reading about how you adore them, so I requested they open this garden for our use. It is usually meant for the Hokage’s wife, but I got my brother to make an exception for us.” Sakura returned the smile. “This is Hyuuga Hinata, the one who will become the future owner of this place.” Sakura introduced her companion to Konan.

“It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Konan greeted Hinata, who nodded with a small polite smile.

“The pleasure is entirely mine, Konan-sama. I have heard many wonderful things about the North, it is my hope that I be allowed to visit one day.” Hinata responded with grace. Sakura was relieved to see that she appeased to Konan, who looked to welcome Hinata’s presence.

“Well, while I greatly appreciate this beautiful set up Sakura-hime, in the North we have the habit of firstly getting business out of the way to only after engage in pleasant discussions. I would request that we do the same here. Why were you so adamant that we attend this engagement party?” Konan turned to Sakura, a serious look in her eyes. Sakura was caught by surprise, hoping that she’d have more time to soften Konan with flowers and compliments before debating business. She pondered her approach for a second, before remembering that Northerners were proud, honest people, who hated lies above all.

“We had someone called Deidara appear in Wind, he claimed that Sasori had sent him to my husband in secret, with a message. That message was that the Otokage was going to visit Pein-sama and that we did not want that meeting to happen. My maid is well-connected with gossip circles and she warned me when the meeting was planned to take place. I invited you here so that would not happen. I ask of you, please do not be upset at my husband, this whole scheme was mine.” Sakura laid all her cards on the table, and prayed that Konan would support her.

“While I do not appreciate underhanded methods, I will admit that sometimes delicate situations require a delicate approach, and I do agree with your choice. However, I must ask of you: is Sasuke Uchiha such a horrible man that you’d manipulate your own brother’s engagement party to stop his plans?” Konan asked Sakura, who breathed a small sigh of relief. Hinata watched the interaction curiously, but kept to herself.

“While I do not know him personally, I find that whoever decides to break an ancient treaty is not someone who should be trusted.” Sakura answered, hoping to appeal to Konan’s sense of loyalty to the old ways. The northerner did not look very convinced, and Hinata chose this moment to step in.

“I do not know if you heard, but Sakura-san was kidnapped on his orders. I’m certain she does not wish to speak of it due to traumatic memories, but from what I heard, she was taken when she was returning from a visit to a hospital. I believe she sustained several injuries as a result of the kidnapping.” Hinata added. Sakura averted her eyes, not wanting to play victim, but the Hyuuga’s words worked. Konan’s expression went through a drastic change, looking much somber than before.

“He did that?” She asked Sakura.

“Yes. I believe his intention was to use me as a bargaining chip, to make both my husband and brother surrender to him.” Sakura knew that wasn’t the truth, but she’d do whatever it took to conquer the North.

“That’s absolutely despicable. If there’s one thing I do not tolerate, it’s taking hostages. I am very sorry that you had to go through that, Sakura-hime.” Konan took Sakura’s hand, and the pinkette was surprised at the amount of sympathy she had gained from the older woman. She wondered if Konan had gone through a hostage situation in her past. The three women remained in silence for a while, each one thinking about their current situation. Eventually Konan broke the silence. “I cannot promise an alliance against the South. Nagato would not go to war over something like this. However, I can promise you that we will not ally with the South, for my husband shares my sentiments over hostage-takers. Furthermore, summer is nearly upon us, and my people will use that time to farm and hunt to start preparing for the future winter. If it were up to me, I’d join you, and we’d ride an army against the South that would become eternal in song.”

Sakura smiled at Konan’s kindness, and covered their joined hands with her own.

“Konan-sama, I did not expect such promises from you, I only wished to warn you against the Uchiha. I promise you, that for as long as I live, Wind will never harm the North, and I hope that we may grow in friendship as we age.”

“I h-hope that I too may grow to be a part of this f-friendship…” Hinata stuttered. Both women turned to the blushing Hyuuga and smiled, happy to include her in their circle. The three of them chatted happily after that, enjoying the delicious food, the beautiful flowers and their company.

They were polishing off the last of the desserts when Sakura remembered something else she wanted to ask.

“Forgive my question, but who is Sasori? You did not seem upset to hear him ordering clandestine missions, and I wonder how he came across that information.” Sakura asked during a moment of silence. Konan turned to her with a sad expression.

“I thought you knew… Akasuna no Sasori, our spymaster and second in command of our troops, formerly known as Sabaku no Sasori. He’s your husband’s eldest sibling.” Konan explained. 

“Gaara told me once. He said…” Sakura recalled a dinner, the night she first discovered about the demons hidden within the weapons. “He tried for the bow and went insane?”

“I don’t know much from before his arrival at Rain. He doesn’t speak much of his past, but from what I’ve gathered, he failed his trial. The elders wanted to erase him, but your husband, he helped him escape. He wandered the world, until eventually choosing to stay with us. I can see that he still has ties to his baby brother…” Konan explained, as Sakura and Hinata listened with great curiosity. Before they could ask for more, they were interrupted by a servant, who announced the men had returned from the hunt.

The three women rose to go greet them at the foyer. As Sakura stood by the stairs leading down, she saw Gaara, Naruto and Pein together, talking excitedly about something. She admired them for a second when suddenly her vision flashed black.

Sakura was standing in a forest, similar to the ones in Fire. She was in a clearing surrounded by trees, and in the center was the single Cherry Tree that she recognized served as the central piece of Konoha, Naruto’s throne. Standing by it were three men, also chatting excitedly, and the taller one had his arms around the shortest one. They noticed her there and turned to her, waving and smiling excitedly. Sakura wanted to scream as she saw them. The tallest one is my father! She thought at first, but as she walked closer, she began to see small differences, disappointing her. He had the same spiky blonde hair, the same sky blue eyes, the same build… Sakura wanted to cry. Next to him, was the red-haired male she had seen once. He looked just like Gaara again, and Sakura quickly averted her eyes to the third member of the group. He looked incredibly similar to Pein, but at the same time, very different. He had brown hair to Pein’s orange, and he did not have any metals on his skin. Their main similarity were the stormy grey eyes, rippling with power.

“Ouka…”

The redhead said something and Sakura was pulled away from her vision. When her vertigo stopped, she felt herself being cradled in someone’s arms. Opening her eyes, she saw Konan’s concerned face looming over her, alongside Hinata’s, who was holding her gently.

“Sakura!” She heard her brother’s booming voice mixed with Gaara’s growling one, both of them yelling her name before everything went dark again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have more appearances from the other women in our story, and as the boys go out to play, the girls make the world go round. Here's to hoping everyone had a nice Halloween, and please come again next week for another chapter!


	16. A Princess at a Party

“I swear you disrespectful brat! I pulled that girl out of her mother’s womb! I watched her become the woman she is today! If you don’t leave me be so I can look after her, I will forcefully remove you from this place!” 

Sakura opened her eyes to see a very dear figure to her. She was back in the room she was sharing with Gaara, and it seemed Tsunade was arguing with someone.

“She is the Kazehime, her health should be entrusted to someone I choose.”

Sakura could not see Gaara, but his voice carried over to her, and she tried to sit up so she could see him. Her movements alerted them to her state of consciousness, and soon both of them were hovering around her.

“Be careful, you might have hit your head on your way down. Here, have some water before you say something.” Tsunade’s careful grip helped Sakura sit up, and she was handed a cup of water. Sakura smiled at the woman who had been more to her than her own mother. 

“Tsunade-shishou… It’s so good to see you…” Sakura leaned on the blonde woman for support, burying her face on her shoulder. Tsunade had been forcefully removed from her life when she turned sixteen due to the council’s interference. Sakura had never forgotten her or stopped missing her. Upon seeing the two women embrace each other with such emotion, Gaara left his position by the side of the bed, and left the room, without saying another word.

The two stayed together for a while longer, until eventually Tsunade broke their embrace, giving Sakura a good look.

“Well, now that your husband is out of here, shall I perform my special trick? Have you had any chances to practice, now that you’re in Suna?” Tsunade’s hand started glowing a familiar green and she placed that hand on Sakura’s shoulders. Sakura felt the familiar warmth of her mentor’s chakra entering her body and relaxed.

“No, Gaara and his siblings are all chakra-sensitive. They would know. I can’t seem to keep it hidden like you can.” Sakura sighed. She didn’t like keeping secrets from her new family, but when Konoha’s council had found out, their steps to ensure secrecy had frightened Sakura.

“That’s because you can compete with your brother in terms of raw power. The council would hate it if it got our that the princess could have been a better candidate than the prince.” Tsunade scoffed. She had tried to train Sakura to at least be a healer, but when the council found out, she had been banished to a different land, forbidden from contact with Sakura until now. 

The two remained in silence until Tsunade’s examination was finished. 

“I don’t see anything wrong with you. In fact, you’re healthier than you’ve ever been. Sakura, what happened with you? Did you see any flashes? Anything like your mother used to have?” Tsunade asked, filled with concern. She was one of the very few people that knew that the late Lady of Konoha had visions. The Lady had always been afraid that her children would inherit her curse, and Tsunade had always monitored Sakura carefully. She had never displayed anything like it, but again, Tsunade remembered, Kushina hadn’t started having them until she was married.

“I… I don’t know why… It’s happened twice now. First I was with Gaara on a rooftop, then I blink and I’m standing on a field of flowers, and there’s another man there… Who looked just like him! And now, when I saw Naruto, Gaara and the Amekage, I had another vision, we were by the Sakura tree that makes the throne, but there was no throne, no castle, just three men, and they looked just like Gaara, Naruto and Pein-sama! Shishou, am I cursed like my mother?” Sakura asked tearfully, afraid for her future.

Tsunade listened in shock. Kushina had only ever shared one vision with her, and she had also mentioned the tree before there was a throne or a castle. Tsunade pursed her lips in thought. What were the odds, she thought, for both mother and daughter to have the exact same visions?

“Sakura, tell nobody of this. I’m going to talk to an old friend with a very good memory. Maybe he’ll have answers for us.” Tsunade patted her prized pupil on the head, hoping to reassure her. “I’ll go look for that bratty boy who calls himself Kazekage and let him know you’re okay. He was really worried for you, looked about ready to move a mountain.”

Sakura couldn’t help but smile. She could picture Gaara moving an entire mountain by himself.

“He may not love me, but he does care about my well-being. I even think we’re friends.” Sakura’s smile softened as she spoke of Gaara, and Tsunade couldn’t help but feel relieved. When she had heard of the arranged marriage, she was worried for Sakura, but it seemed she had lucked out to find herself a good man.

“Well, I always believed that a relationship built on a foundation of trust and respect will last forever.” Laying a final caress upon Sakura’s head, Tsunade got up, and started to walk towards the door. Sakura watched her walk with a heavy heart, worried for her own sanity.

Tsunade opened the door and poked her head out, looking to the sides. As soon as she turned right, she barked out:

“Well, come on in. We’re done.” 

She re-entered the room, leaving the door open. A few seconds after, Gaara also entered the room, looking grumpier than usual. He stood awkwardly in the center of the room, and Sakura guessed that he didn’t know where to go. She patted the bed next to her, and he tentatively sat on the edge of the bed, near her hand.

“Well?” He asked, impatient for results. Tsunade watched him squirm a few seconds longer with a smirk. She could already tell he cared much more than Sakura thought he did.

“She’s perfectly healthy. I think it was simply a bit of an overreaction to the pollen by the garden she had her lunch at. It’s very common, happens to everyone. You’ll be perfectly healthy for the party tomorrow night.” Tsunade felt bad about lying to the boy, but everyone in Konoha knew that allergies were a very common thing, and nobody would think much of Sakura’s reaction to spending a long time in a place overflowing with flowers.

“I see. Thank you.” Gaara slightly bowed with his head, and Tsunade raised an eyebrow at his gesture. She didn’t expect any sign of respect from him. 

“Yes, thank you very much shishou.” Sakura smiled. Tsunade nodded at her pupil and left them alone, intend on finding the hermit sage that she knew lived near the castle.

Once they were alone, Sakura turned to face Gaara. He was still sitting at the edge of the bed, looking uncomfortable. A quick look at him told her why.

“You haven’t even changed from your hunting gear?” She asked, surprised at him.

“Well… I did not…” Gaara didn’t finish his sentence, springing upwards, heading towards his dressing room. Sakura smiled as she deduced what he didn’t want to say. 

* * *

The next day was spent in a flurry of activity, for it was the day of the great engagement party. Sakura spent most of her day being bathed, scented, cleansed and prepared. Ino had arrived from her village, and together with Shizune, they spent the day making sure Sakura would be the prettiest of them all. Sakura didn’t even see Gaara until she was ready, for he had awoken before she did, and spent most of the day engaged with Naruto.

Once she was ready and stepped out into their shared chambers, he audibly gasped. Her dress was a deep wine color, contrasting starkly with her pale skin and hair. It clung to her upper body, displaying her curves, and had a silky, flowing skirt, that danced around her legs, revealing their shape, yet hiding them, depending on how she moved. 

“Do you like it? I took inspiration from Suna’s fabrics, to combine a Fire bodice, with a Wind skirt. And the red matches your own colors.” Sakura spun, skirt flying outwards, exposing her shapely legs, before quickly hiding them again as soon as she stopped. “As for the hair, I went with a mix as well, using the standard Wind braids to make a elaborate bun, Fire style.” Sakura’s ruby-crusted bracelets tinkled as she moved her arms to point to her head. Sakura’s long pink tresses were braided in several small sections, that were braided together to make a large circle around her head, almost looking like a halo.

Gaara still said nothing, mouth hung open, eyes glued to her.

“I think you’ve rendered Gaara-sama speechless, Ugly.” Sai answered for his master with a smile. Beside Sakura, Ino laughed. Sakura smiled and closed the gap between her and her stunned husband. The rubies adorning her neck and ear sparkled as she walked, making her a vision in red. 

“Please pick up your jaw husband, we have a party to go to.” Sakura smiled at Gaara. She placed a hand on his chin and pushed it upwards, closing his mouth. That action shook Gaara awake, who quickly took her hand. He rose just as fast, pulling her close to him.

“You… You’re so dangerous to me…” His breathy voice was so close to her ear she could feel the short breaths he was taking. Her other hand was resting on his chest, and she could feel the heightened rate of his own heart, and her own heart started matching his, on instinct. She tilted her head upwards to look at him, and his eyes were fiery jade, staring intensely into her own. Sakura suddenly felt the room grow much warmer than it had been before, and a unfamiliar feeling started pooling in her own belly. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing would come out.

Their moment was broken by the loud ring of a gong. The two quickly split, both of them embarrassed that they would have such a display in front of their servants, but Ino and Sai were nowhere to be seen.

“We should… We should get going.” Sakura felt herself short on breath. Beside her, Gaara nodded and started moving first. She followed him, mind spinning around whatever it was that had just happened.

By the time they made it to the throne room, both of them had regained control of themselves, Gaara’s usual serious look returned to his face, and Sakura’s polite smile charming the other guests. Once inside, the two first made their way to the throne, where Naruto was seated. Sakura performed a deep curtsy while Gaara bowed.

“Ah sister, you’re looking particularly beautiful this evening. Are you trying to perhaps outshine my Hinata?” Naruto smiled at Sakura, knowing that she always made an effort to look the best.

“Why, of course not.” Sakura returned the smile, but hers was filled with mischief. Naruto chuckled at his sister’s antics. He nodded at them and the Wind’s couple left, in search of Rain’s leaders.

“If Pein-sama asks me to dance, you have to do the polite thing, and ask Konan-sama the same.” Sakura advised her husband, who simply shrugged.

“He won’t. He’s not the type to do something like that.” Gaara replied. Sakura raised her eyebrow at him, surprised at his assessment. “I took your advice. He’s not too different from myself.” Gaara added. Sakura's laugh twinkled around them, drawing the attention of the other party-goers. 

They found the two Rain leaders by the refreshments.

“Ah Sakura-hime, I’m so glad you are well enough to join us this evening.” Konan greeted her friend with a kind smile.

“It was simply some allergies caused by the flowers. I was never in any harm.” Sakura returned the smile, and the two women couldn’t help but smile brighter at each other.

“See dear, I told you that even flowers can be dangerous sometimes.” Konan addressed her partner, who nodded wisely.

“Even the prettiest flowers can have thorns.” He spoke in a low tone.

Sakura couldn’t help but laugh at that, being named after a flower herself. A look to her left showed that the head of the Hyuuga clan was headed their way, and looking to avoid him, Sakura proposed something she’d later regret.

“It seems like such a nice night, why don’t we have fun with some dancing?” 

“Yes, that does sound wonderful. Nagato?” Konan quickly jumped at the chance of a dance with her usually reclusive partner.

“I suppose a dance couldn’t hurt.”

Gaara and Sakura watched Pein accompany a glowing Konan to the dance area. Sakura linked her arm with Gaara’s and looked at him with a sassy gleam.

“You said something about dancing?” She smiled at him a little too predatorily and Gaara couldn’t help but raise his eyebrow in surprise.

“If I must…”

The two also joined the other dancers. Gaara quickly placed his hand around her waist, pulling her closer. Sakura grasped his other hand in her own and allowed him to lead them. Gaara was an excellent lead, one of the best ones she had ever had. He was firm and determined, not a ounce of hesitation in his steps. He deftly guided them around the dance floor, spinning at the music’s tempo, her skirt flying around them.

Being in such close proximity to each other, encased in their own world caused a return of those feelings they had earlier. Sakura couldn’t tear her eyes away from his, being carried away by the mysterious emotion they held. It didn’t take long for her to realize she wanted to kiss him. She wanted to see if he would hold the same heat his eyes promised her. Sakura moved closer, intent on sneaking a kiss when nobody was looking. She closed the gap even further, mingling their breaths. Gaara’s grip on her tightened almost painfully and Sakura closed her eyes. Their lips had just barely touched when the music stopped suddenly, and the moment was gone just as suddenly. The two of them split just as quickly. 

Naruto had ordered the music to stop to make a speech, and Sakura cursed her brother’s awful timing. The two of them joined the other party-goers to listen to the Hokage’s speech. Sakura couldn’t tell anybody what her brother was talking about, for her mind was trapped in the memories of the moment she almost had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those of you who were so intent on discovering if Sakura's visions had greater meaning: you were all right. We'll start learning more about them as the story progresses. Gaara and Sakura's romance has also been progressing, from respect, to trust, to finally chemistry. I hope you're all ready for the start of the end, as this chapter marks the beginning of the final arc of this story. Thank you all for reading and please look forward to another chapter next week!


	17. The Summer Solstice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit different from the others, we'll see short moments with different characters that aren't in chronological order. It's a sort of calm before the storm filler chapter to allow us to spend some more time with our cast. It can be skipped without losing out on too much beyond cute moments.

Temari returned from the latest skirmish exhausted. The time between fights had grown longer as they thinned out their enemy’s numbers, but she had been in the heat of battle for far too long, and even her own strength was dwindling.

“Temari-sama, the new arrivals just got here!” One of her captains let her know that the additional men she had requested from Suna had arrived. She had been wanting to rotate her soldiers around, for she saw that many of them were at their breaking points.

“Good. Show them their tents, I’ll see to them tomorrow.” She was in no mood to greet and speak to anyone, so she headed to her own tent, isolated from the rest, in search of some peace and quiet. After cleaning herself up and trashing her bloodied clothes, she sat at the fireplace in front of her tent, staring at the warmth.

“Ah, I thought you’d be here.”

Temari looked up to see her favorite thing to come out of Konoha: Nara Shikamaru. She stared at him for a while, surprised to see him. He hadn’t been in the list given to her earlier, so she didn’t expect to see him.

“What are you doing here?” She asked. He sat in front of her, the fire between them burning softly.

“I came here to replace Sai, who is to return to Suna immediately. He’s going to Konoha with Sakura-hime and Gaara-sama.” Shikamaru answered with a uninterested shrug. Temari started to get up to look for Sai, knowing her brother hated waiting. Shikamaru stopped her midway. “I already spoke to him, he’s probably on his way to Suna right now.”

“Ah. But why aren’t you going with them? Don’t you want to visit your home?” Temari watched the shadows flicker around him curiously. There’s always something weird with Shikamaru’s shadow, she thought.

“Konoha isn’t my home anymore. I turned in the paperwork to revoke my Fire citizenship for a Wind one this morning, before leaving.” He turned to the sky, watching the stars twinkle. Temari gasped in surprise, not expecting him to forsake his old home so casually.

“But why? You know Gaara and I don’t care for any of the council’s bullshit about you. We want you in our army regardless of where you were born.” Temari watched his lips twitch into a smile and wondered why he was smiling at the sky. She looked up, wondering if it was something he had seen, but saw nothing special.

“What do you think a country is? Or a king?” He asked. Temari wondered about his odd question, but didn’t have time to formulate an answer, since he continued: “I think a country is not a place, or a king. A country is made of people. A king is simply a representation of the will of those people. My loyalty is not to a country, or a king, but to people. Specifically, those who I care about. If I have to renounce something so meaningless like a citizenship, I will.”

Temari pondered on his words and felt a wave of sadness pass through her heart.

“Sakura really is amazing, isn’t she… You really will follow her anywhere…” Temari muttered to herself. Shikamaru turned to face her, having heard her words.

“I’m not doing this for Sakura-hime. There’s a troublesome woman, one who I am willing to become a Wind citizen for.” He said. Shikamaru started to get up as soon as his words left his mouth, and Temari stumbled over her question.

“Who, who is that woman?”

He turned around with a final smile.

“You’re a troublesome woman, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

She watched him leave, his shadow flickering wildly around him, all signs of exhaustion replaced with a soft blush and a smile.

* * *

Hinata kept her eyes fixed to the steps before her, keeping in mind the rules her father had taught her. She hated her father, she hated her position, but most of all, she hated herself for not being strong enough to do something. At least I actually care about who he is, and not what he is, she thought to herself.

“This is my first born, Hinata. I believe you may remember her, for she used to come play with Sakura-hime when the two were young.” Her father’s solemn voice reached her ears, and Hinata curtsied when her name was spoken, making sure to keep her gaze fixed to the floor.

“I do remember her! You’re the mute!”

Hinata felt her father stiffen next to her and suppressed a smile at his discomfort.. When she was a child, she had stuttered a lot, and her father had insisted that she never speak in front of him, in order to not disgrace their family’s name with her inability to speak properly.

Another father and his daughter had arrived, prompting the two Hyuuga to take their leave from their leader. The crowd parted for them as they walked, for the Hyuuga patriarch was famous throughout the land.

“I wish you were born mute. That way, I would not have to concern myself with finding you a proper husband.” Hinata kept her gaze downcast and her expression unchanged. She was used to her father’s harshness, and tried not to let it get to her. “I will join my own friends. If he steps down from his throne, you make sure to dance with him at least once. Surely even you can do that much.”

“Of course, father.”

With a final haughty look at his daughter, Hyuuga Hiashi left her alone, and Hinata couldn’t help but release a sigh of relief. She finally looked up, to gaze upon the other people present at the party, and was not surprised to see there were many more young ladies than men. Since Sakura-hime’s marriage, it seemed every one with a claim to a title was intent on throwing their daughter at the Hokage.

Hinata made her way through the crowd to a special window on the eastern side of the room. Sakura had once told her that window led to a small pathway with a bench. She had frequently seen the former princess escape through that window on the parties they had both attended. Hinata wondered if Sakura was still thought of her as a friend. Their mothers had been close friends, and the two girls spent time together then, but when Hinata’s mother had passed away, her father kept the two apart.

Casting a quick look around her to make sure she wasn’t being watched, Hinata quietly slipped past the window, closing it behind her. She walked down the narrow dirt path until she found the old stone bench, and took a seat on it. From it she could overlook the city sprawling downwards and the stars in the sky. She tried to look for a moon, but it was covered by the clouds.

Hinata closed her eyes, listening to the muffled music coming from the castle, and wondered if her father would notice her absence. She hoped he wouldn’t, for she did not care to receive another scolding when she got home. A large thud before her had her opening her eyes, and she found herself looking into the sky blue eyes of Uzumaki Naruto.

He was crouching, as if he had just fallen from the sky, and Hinata noticed he looked just as surprised to see her.

“Hokage-sama! What… Why are you here?” She whispered.

“Huh, so you can speak…” He replied with a smile, and took the empty spot next to her. Hinata stiffened, uncomfortable with the situation.

“You shouldn’t be here, your presence will be missed.” Hinata told him, hoping that he’d leave her be. Instead, he simply leaned back, hands back, and grinned at the sky.

“I left a clone behind, nobody can even tell the difference.”

Hinata remembered a time where she was listening to her father’s meeting with the Hokage’s trusted advisor, Kakashi. She had been listening through the door, and she heard them mention the Hokage’s special skill, of making copies of himself.

“You can make clones?” She asked, curious as to how something like that could be possible. Of course she knew about chakra and its potential applications, for she had read her cousin’s books, but she had never truly seen someone use it.

“Of course, it’s basic stuff that’s covered in the academy. Technically anyone can make a clone.” Naruto turned to face her, and Hinata looked away, focusing on a nearby plant.

“I wouldn’t know. Women aren’t allowed to enter the Academy.” She replied sadly. Hinata had heard of the very few special cases that were able to apply and graduate, but they were all commoners, without any parents to stop them.

“They aren’t? But Tenten and Anko graduated from there.”

Hinata smiled softly, still not meeting his eyes.

“Tenten-san and Anko-san were only able to enter because they didn’t have a title or parents to stop them. If I were to try to enter the Academy, my father would never allow me.” Hinata explained, finally turning to look at him. He carried a concerned look in his face, and she wondered if he was never aware of such things.

“That’s… I thought… I thought Sakura wasn’t allowed in because she was my sister and because she had baa-chan, I didn’t realize… Is it like this for everyone?” He asked. Hinata was moved by his concern, and wondered what other things he was unaware of.

“Sakura-hime was lucky to have someone teach her, probably because she is Sakura-hime. Nobody would dare deny her anything.” Hinata muttered. She liked Sakura, but any women who had the unfortunate experience of having to stand next to her in a party also hated her for being so perfect.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that… I told her no a whole bunch of times. My sister is not that special, you should see her when she’s not at one of these parties. It’s just that she’s so competitive, she simply has to outshine everyone else.” Naruto smiled fondly, and Hinata wondered if he was missing his sister.

“Well, Sakura-hime is like the sun to me. I can’t even look at her too long for fear I’ll burn my eyes.” Hinata smiled, thinking back to all the times she avoided Sakura at parties, even when the princess was looking for her.

“If Sakura is the sun, then you’re the moon. I could look at you all night.” 

There was something in his smile that made Hinata flush, her heart beating fast under her skin. As if he had the sky on command, the clouds parted, allowing the bright full moon to cast its light upon them. Before she could say anything, he jumped up as if shocked, and quickly jumped up to the roof, yelling an apology as he left. Hinata was left alone, but she no longer felt glad to be alone, missing the warmth that had just been there.

“A moon… I could be the moon that reflects your sun, Naruto...”

* * *

“But why choose me, instead of Temari-san?”

Gaara and Sai were walking down the main street of Suna, glancing at store fronts as they passed by. Sai had been preparing to head off on a assignment when Gaara interrupted him, demanding he accompany him to the market.

“You’re familiar with Sakura’s maid, aren’t you?”

Sai thought of Ino, his new addiction, and tried to maintain his expression blank. She had agreed to conceal their budding relationship per his request, and Sai was surprised Gaara knew of it.

“I suppose I am.” Sai answered vaguely, trying to see how much his lord knew of his escapades.

“I need a gift for Sakura. I seem to have angered her, and Temari always responds well when appeased by a gift.” 

“What did you do?” Sai asked, curious over this fight that he hadn’t heard of yet.

“She complains that I leave the bed too early, and join in too late. I told her that I could not afford to live such a lackadaisical life as she did and it seemed to have angered her.”

Sai hid a smile, realizing that Sakura’s anger meant good things for his friend.

They stopped in front of the most prestigious jewelry shop in Suna, ran by a northerner named Kakuzu. Sai knew him quite well, for he frequently carried his messages to his contact in the North. 

“Ino and I don’t really speak much about you or Sakura-sama.” Sai thought to his conversations with her and they were mostly carried by Ino, who spoke of everything but her lady. Sai would frequently listen to her, and he’d be occasionally surprised by how much she knew of everyone else’s life.

“What do you two do then?”

Sai stopped by the door, a faint pink covering his cheeks. Most of what he did with Ino required using their mouths, but not always for talking. He quickly composed himself, noticing his lord was no longer with him, and joined him in looking at earrings made of gold and other precious jewels. 

“We don’t do… much.” Sai mumbled, hoping Gaara wouldn’t pick up on his awkwardness. To his chagrin, Gaara did turn to look at him with a penetrating stare, as if he was reading the secrets hidden in Sai’s heart. Sai didn’t know what he thought, because he turned back to the jewelry, completely changing the subject.

“What do you think she’d prefer? Emeralds or rubies?” 

“I think Ugl- I mean, Sakura-hime would enjoy either.” Sai cursed himself for slipping. He always made sure to not use his pet names for others in front of Gaara, as to not anger the man. Instead of a frown, Sai saw his master smirk a little, and wondered if perhaps Gaara found his nicknames as amusing as he did.

“Why Ugly? Is it because she’s always so perfectly composed?”

Sai pondered on how to word his explanation without offending Gaara or Sakura, and by the time he answered, the redhead had moved on from earrings and was looking at necklaces.

“When we heard of Sakura-hime before we met her, she always carried a title with her: the beautiful. I have observed that she uses that as both her spear and her shield. At the same time she dazzles you with her beauty, she hides her inner thoughts. You find yourself incapable of saying no to her, while not being capable of seeing her goals. I think it’s incredible.” Sai answered. Gaara nodded in agreement.

“I understand her. Since I was young, I was always the prodigy. I had two older brothers and a sister, but still everyone looked to me to guide the family and to be better than anyone else. When you hear this so often, it starts to define you. I think Sakura has defined herself by her beauty, in the same way I define myself by my skills.” Gaara turned around to leave the store, Sai following him in contemplative silence. 

“Perhaps, your apology gift could be not an object, but a way to show her that you see her beyond her beauty.” Sai stopped moving, and Gaara turned around to look at him. Sai smiled at his master and friend, pointing to the building behind him.

* * *

 

“Where are we heading?”

Sakura looked at her husband, who was trailing slightly ahead of her, guiding her to a unknown destination. He had appeared in their room earlier, requesting that she accompany him. Surprised at his odd behaviour, Sakura followed him, forgetting her previous complaint.

Ever since they had returned from Konoha, they had started to share a bed, specifically the one in his room. Sakura found that she enjoyed sleeping with him next to her, providing her with a reliable source of warmth, safety and comfort. On his end, she didn’t know what he thought, for he left before she woke up and arrived when she was already asleep. She had complained to him that morning and he had answered in a sarcastic manner that angered her, prompting the first fight of their conjugal life.

Sakura forced herself to stop and look around her, trying to determine where they were going. She quickly noticed that the path they were taking was very familiar to her, and soon the tall hospital building loomed in front of them. 

“Why are we going to the hospital? Are you sick?” She asked, closing the distance between them.

“You’ll see.”

Rolling her eyes at his attempt at suspense, Sakura decided to stop asking questions, allowing him to guide her in whatever way he deemed fit. She trusted him, knowing whatever he had in mind would not cause her harm.

The two of them entered the hospital, and Sakura smiled to the staff, already familiar with them from the many times she had come before. The director approached them, with a calculating look she had never seen before.

“Ah, Sakura-hime, how wonderful to see you again, truly you are most kind to bring Kazekage-sama with you this time. Perhaps I might show him around while you visit the children, my lady?” The hospital director was not subtle with his intentions, which raised many eyebrows. Sakura was about to speak when Gaara beat her to it.

“No need. I have also come to see the children my wife is so fond of.” Gaara’s words had quite the effect on the hospital lobby, suddenly everyone was whispering to whoever was closest to them.

_ “Did you hear him? She’s totally taken over!” _

_ “Isn’t that just wonderful? She’s such a nice girl, maybe she can turn him into a prince!” _

_ “It’s just like a fairytale come to life!” _

Sakura pursed her lips, unhappy with such a public demonstration. Ideally she’d have dealt with the situation in private, now this whole encounter would be discussed in everyone’s dinner.

“Ah, of course Kazekage-sama, please follow me.”

As the couple followed the hospital director, Sakura thought of all the ways she could scold him when they got home, but as soon as they stepped into the children’s ward, all her sour thoughts were replaced with the joy she felt upon seeing so many new and old faces.

“Sakura-hime! She’s come to visit us again!”

The first shouts echoed across the ward, and soon enough, Sakura was surrounded by children of all ages and sizes, all of them grasping at her clothes, trying to claim her attention for themselves. Gaara, who had planned the visit, had been completely overlooked, all of the little ones enchanted by Sakura.

“Will you play with us?”

“No! She’ll do a puppet show!”

“I want a dance!”

“How about a story?” Sakura suggested instead, taking control of the situation. Right as she said that, the chaos that was surrounding her stopped, and a path cleared for Sakura. She started walking and the children all followed her, as if she had enchanted their minds.

Gaara and the director also followed them, soon being joined by the Head of the Children’s Ward, a elderly woman with a wide smile. They entered a wide room, filled with toys, drawings on the walls and wide windows. 

“This is the play room, Kazekage-sama. It was built for the younglings who were well enough to leave their rooms but not healthy enough to return home. To some of our frequent stayers, this is their favorite place.” The Head explained. Gaara turned to her and asked:

“Frequent stayers?”

“Ah yes, not all children have ailments that can be easily cured. See the ones with the blue bangles on their arms? Most of them haven’t left the hospital in months, a few in years. We can’t quite tell what disease ails them, but they’re too fragile to live a normal life. For some, leaving this place would be death.”

Gaara looked at the children with the blue bangles. He noticed that they were all very pale, some very thin, and all of them with very wide smiles directed to his wife. He shifted his attention to her and noticed her waving at him, calling him to her. He approached her and she patted the empty spot next to her. Gaara soon found himself sitting in front of a audience of little people, all looking at him in interest.

“Who’s that, Sakura-hime?”

“This is my husband, Gaara. He’s your Kazekage.” Sakura explained with a smile. Gaara nodded to them and soon found himself the focus of attention.

“He doesn’t look that old, how come he’s the Kazekage?” One of the little girls asked, looking at Gaara suspiciously.

“That’s cause he’s very strong, Nina. When I grow up, I’m gonna be Kazekage!” Another boy answered. A chorus of laughter rang at his announcement, and even Gaara found himself smiling a little.

“Today, Gaara-sama and I are going to be reading to you all the story of the Princess and the Ninja, okay? He’s the ninja and I’m the princess, so make sure you all know what to do!” Sakura announced and a loud yes rang. She handed him a copy of the book she was reading, and Gaara noticed that on the cover, there was a girl with blonde hair and a boy with blue one. He wondered about where the story came from, but Sakura started reading the book and he was forced to pay attention to the story.

Gaara didn’t think the story was particularly inspiring. It was a traditional tale of following your dreams and getting the reward at the end, but he did appreciate that the ninja was smart, and didn’t solve all his problems by punching them. He was most impressed by how well behaved the kids were, all of them listening quietly and the few that tried to speak were quickly shushed by their peers. They did chant along whenever the ninja used one of his ninjutsu, startling Gaara at first, but he quickly grew used to it.

“...and so the Ninja was finally able to take the princess’ hand in marriage, with her father’s blessing too. Their marriage was the prettiest in all the realm, and they sealed their vows with a kiss.” Sakura was almost finished with the story when suddenly a small voice called out.

“Now kiss him, Sakura-hime!”

She didn’t spot which one of the kids started it, but suddenly all of them were clamoring for a kiss. Sakura tried to regain control of the situation, but they were too far gone. Deciding to go for a demure kiss on the cheek, she turned to Gaara and quickly leaned in. However, he turned and instead she ended up locking her lips to his, to the noise of cheers and yells.

They quickly split up, Sakura blushing wildly, and she could swear she saw him smirk before he turned away from her. She narrowed his eyes, wondering if he had turned on purpose, but she dismissed the thought, believing Gaara wouldn’t resort to such sneaky tactics if he wanted to kiss her. After that, they never finished the book, for the kids quickly jumped up and started surrounding them both, peppering them with questions, requests and touches. Sakura was happy to see Gaara handle everyone calmly, keeping to his usual dispassionate tone, addressing everyone equally. She commented on it when they were walking home, and his response had her laughing in the middle of the street.

“I am quite used to children. I’ve had to deal with the council my entire life.”

In much better spirits, the couple returned to their home, and before Sakura could head to their room to change, Gaara stopped her, grabbing her hand.

“Sakura… I am not good with words, so please wait until I’ve finished. I’m sorry for earlier, I do not think you are less than me, or your work is not important. Being kind, bringing joy to others, taking your time to visit children who may never be able to see the world… That is not something I can do. You are much more than you-!”

Sakura stopped his apology with a kiss, silencing him with her own lips. He was frozen for a second, but quickly pulled her closer to him, moving his hands to her hips. Sakura then pulled away, and smiling at his stupefied face said: "You’re forgiven. Just try to come to bed earlier and who knows? We might even continue where we just stopped.” 

With a wink, Sakura turned away from him and left, giggling all the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week we'll go back to full plot moments, I just wished to have some more time to see how some things started and how others are progressing before focusing on the story again. Please look forward to a big event next week!


	18. A Heavenly Princess

Sakura had stayed in her room the entire afternoon, thinking. Her relationship with Gaara had gone through a tumultuous change recently. She had taken the initiative to take their relationship into a more romantic level, but it seemed that beyond the new addition of skinship, they hadn’t changed at all. 

Gaara still treated her as he usually did, and she found herself responding in kind, maintaining their old ways.

“But what would you like him to do? This is just how life is, Sakura. People aren’t always making wild passionate speeches to each other.” Ino smiled at her princess’ concerns. 

“But still, it feels a little lacking…” Sakura pouted. Ino shook her head, looking for a suitable dinner outfit for her lady. 

Sakura sighed, watching Ino mess around with the wide collection in her wardrobe. That night Temari and Kankuro were both going to be home, and Gaara had asked they all be present at dinner, presumably to speak of their scheming behind their backs. Sakura was not looking forward to it at all, but knew it to be necessary.

“What do you think of this peach color? It compliments your hair quite well. We can braid it sideways…” 

Sakura allowed herself to be distracted by Ino’s everlasting quest to make sure Sakura was always the prettiest one wherever she went. She always had fun at her maid’s antics, and she adored being pampered by her. 

Eventually Ino was done, and Sakura thought that even if she didn’t feel ready, she certainly looked the part. The Kazehime exited her room regally, heading towards the dining room. She didn’t see anyone on her way in, and wondered if she was perhaps too early, but as soon as she entered, she saw that she was the last one there.

Taking her seat to the right of Gaara, Sakura gently tried to reach to his hand, and he met het halfway, joining hands over the table, to the surprise of his siblings.

“Temari, Kankuro, welcome home.” Gaara opened.

Temari smiled nervously while Kankuro nodded. The servants came in, bearing their meal, one of Temari’s favorites. They thanked and dismissed them, Kankuro making sure to tell them to not allow others in.

They ate a little in silence until Sakura eventually grew tired of waiting and started talking.

“Temari, Kankuro has told me about how you two wished to use my sympathetic image to your brother’s advantage. Would you care to elaborate?” Sakura wanted to give Temari a chance to explain things from her perspective, but she was not planning on letting it go easily.

“I should start with an apology.  I’m sorry. When we heard from Konoha that you were being sent to us, and based on the image we had of you from when we first met, we took you for a sweet, pretty but frivolous girl. As you see from Suna, we don’t have women like you, the perfect princess, straight out of a children’s book. Kankuro thought we could use your image to our advantage, to win over people’s minds and hearts.” Temari explained, looking at Sakura with a regretful expression. She’d never admit it out loud, but a part of the reason she had gone through with Kankuro’s idea had been the envy she had felt towards Sakura, who was everything Temari wasn’t.

Gaara looked like he was about to complain, but Sakura tightened her grip on his hand, silencing him. Kankuro took over the story.

“Obviously, you’re much more shrewd than any of us thought. Surely even you can understand the strategic value of our tactics.” Kankuro said, hoping to appeal to Sakura.

“I do understand, and if the two of you had approached me, I would have given you my own ideas and perhaps done an even better job.” Sakura said, taking the opportunity to throw a mild insult their way, out of spite.

“We didn’t know you that well then. We didn’t think you and Gaara would ever be this close.” Temari struck back, clearly upset at Sakura’s implication.

“Enough of this. From now on, Sakura will be in charge of her own public image. And the two of you, I do not need anyone’s help to better my public image. My actions should speak for themselves.” Gaara cut in before the two women could start a fight. The other occupants resumed their meals in silence.

The uncomfortable silence lingered until dessert.

“Sakura, I am very sorry. As soon as I grew to know you better, I should have spoken to you about it.” Temari broke the silence, hoping to remedy her relationship with the woman she had grown to consider a sister.

“I forgive you.” Sakura smiled at Temari, who quickly returned the smile. All eyes turned to Kankuro, who sighed.

“I’m sorry too.” 

Sakura forgave him as well, and it was in much better spirits that the Kazekage’s family finished their meal.

“Are the reports true? Hostilities have stopped completely?” Sakura asked Temari, who nodded.

“Yes. Our scouts have gone far into South’s territory, and the armies have retreated to the surroundings of the capital. We’re unsure of why. Have you heard anything from your mysterious source, brother?” Temari asked Gaara, who shook his head.

“Nothing.”

Sakura thought of what might have caused such a sudden retreat.

“You don’t think he heard of our current agreement with the Amekage?” Sakura asked Gaara, who shrugged. He knew the South had many spies, and that it would only be a matter of time before one of them sniffed their tentative alliance with North, but his own spy hadn’t reported anything of that sort.

“It’s quite odd. I’ll make sure we have people around our border anyways, in case this is some sort of surprise attack.” Kankuro added. 

“Well, I’m exhausted, and ready for a long night in my bed, so I think I’m going to excuse myself early.” Temari got up from her seat, intent on getting a well deserved rest, after a long time out of Suna. Kankuro joined her, leaving Gaara and Sakura by themselves.

“Should we take an early night as well?” Sakura asked her husband with a smile.

“I still have work to do. I’ll join you once I’m finished.” He answered, planting a quick kiss on her forehead before leaving her.

Sakura returned to her room content, happy to have avoided any major confrontations. Once she entered, she saw an unexpected sight.

“Tsunade-shishou!” Sakura called out, shocked to see her mentor there.

“Shh! Nobody but Ino knows I’m here.” Tsunade brought her fingers to her lips, and Sakura quickly closed her lips.

“Why are you here?” Sakura whispered, sitting next to her mentor on her bed.

“It’s about your visions, Sakura. I have consulted with an old friend of mine, someone very familiar with Konoha’s royal family and its history. I had a theory of sorts, and now I’m almost certain of it.” Tsunade said, taking Sakura’s hands in her own.

“Shishou, what is it?” Sakura asked, almost afraid of the answer.

“You know that Minato was not the heir to the throne, Kushina, your mother was. The council covered up that a mere commoner was heir to the Holy Axe. Kushina’s family roots can be traced back to Konoha’s origin, and more, every generation has always given birth to a woman. Sometimes it’s a single daughter, sometimes it’s a sister, but there’s always a woman.” Tsunade started her story, a somber look in her face.

“Tsunade-sama, are you… Have all of them had these…” Sakura was pale, scared of her ancestors.

“Yes. And more than that, I think these visions are things that actually happened, Sakura. Look at this.” Tsunade pulled out a greyed parchment from her cloak and opened it, revealing a drawing of a young woman, with bright pink hair and stunning green eyes, wearing a white dress. A pale yellow aura was painted around that woman.

“Who’s this?” Sakura asked, gently touching the picture with her fingers, something inside her aching.

“This is a secret. The only drawing ever done of the Goddess. Sakura, you are a direct descendant of Her. And I believe that the visions you’re having, they’re Her memories.” Tsunade felt sad for her pupil, knowing that she would be cursed just like her mother. “Sakura, every single woman in your lineage has died young, for some reason or another… You have to-!”

The door suddenly opened, and Ino entered in a rush.

“The Kazekage is headed this way, Sakura. I think he’s coming for you, since he’s holding a gift.” Ino said, breathless. She looked at Tsunade, who had quickly hidden the picture of the Goddess inside her cloak.

“Sakura, be careful. I’ll investigate this further, and until I return, look after yourself.” Tsunade kissed her precious apprentice before rushing out with Ino, leaving a stunned Sakura behind.

When Gaara entered, he found her in the same state she was left in, staring into the distance, a terrified look on her face.

“Sakura!” He quickly approached her, setting a box next to her and kneeling so he could stay at her eye level. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders, and the contact startled her.

“G-Gaara! What… You scared me!” Sakura whispered, forcefully locking thoughts of the Goddess into the back of her mind.

"What happened to you? You looked like you saw a ghost.” Gaara’s stare made Sakura uncomfortable. Part of her wished to share everything with him, but something deep inside her heart was yelling at her to keep it a secret.

“I just… I saw myself in the mirror and for a second I thought I saw my mother…” Sakura meekly explained. She had on occasion been surprised at her similarity to her mother, but now her words had new meaning, she thought.

Gaara still eyed her critically, but said nothing. Instead he took the box he had left next to her and placed it into her hands.

“I had this done for you. It is a very old tradition among my family. Temari suggested I give you mother’s, but I insisted on making a new one, for you.” Gaara explained, as she opened the box, finding a circlet inside, made of gold, with delicate jewels around it. It finished in a reddish-pink gem, cut in the shape of the flower that gave her her name.

“Gaara this is…” Sakura was at a loss on what to say.

“These are pink diamonds, straight from the vaults of Pein-san himself. You are the queen of this land, its people, and my heart. I love you, ouka.” Gaara’s voice faltered slightly, but his eyes remained steadfast in its declaration. Sakura forgot all her previous worries, entranced by the man in front of her.

“Gaara, I... I love… I love you too.” Sakura suddenly felt herself overwhelmed, and she threw herself in his arms, tears in her eyes. He held her tight, smiling but surprised at her emotional reaction. 

They remained embraced for a while longer, until eventually Gaara parted them, to place Sakura’s diadem on her head. She smiled, eyes still mildly red with tears.

“It looks perfect.” He kissed her, and she responded happily. 

That night, Gaara and Sakura finally consummated their marriage, sealing their wedding vows. To both it was an unforgettable night, that would completely change their lives forever.

The following morning, Gaara was still with her when she woke, and Sakura smiled, remembering the previous night’s activities.

“Good morning, ouka.” Gaara returned her smile with a kiss. Remembering the vision she had in Konoha’s palace, Sakura pulled away, looking at Gaara oddly.

“What does ouka mean?” She asked, curious about the sudden appearance of that word.

“That is something I saw in an old book the other day. It said that Suna’s hero used to call the Goddess that. I thought it was pretty and somehow it fits you…” Gaara shrugged. “Does it bother you?” He asked.

“No! I was just curious…” Sakura smiled. She kissed him again, hoping that he wouldn’t think much of it. However, her heart panicked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To everyone that had been suspicious of Sakura's constant visions, you were right to do so, there's clearly something suspicious. Gaara's clearly been in love with Sakura for a while now, and we finally get to see him admit it, even if his timing wasn't perfect. Ouka is a Japanese word that combines both "cherry blossom" 桜 (Ou) and "fulfill, come true" 叶(Ka). Please look forward to another chapter next week!


	19. The End's Beginning

“Sasuke-kun, the preparations are complete.”

“Then do it, snake.”

Sasuke watched the slimy man in front of him filled with distaste. He knew that if his mother saw the company he was forced to keep, she'd be disappointed in him. Orochimaru was simply a means to an end, a way to break the cycle of hatred he was forced to be a part of. 

_ You still miss him. You're weak.  _

Sasuke closed his eyes, tuning out the voice that never left him alone, the source of his hatred. He was forced to live with it, the creature that corrupted his brother, and murdered his family. 

It happened when he was a child, his father was taken ill by the plague, and Danzo, their counselor insisted that Itachi, the first born, Sasuke’s perfect older brother take the onyx blade. However he was not the chosen one. The monster inside the blade took over, and Sasuke watched as his brother murdered everyone present, his family, the court, even Danzo. Sasuke was the only survivor, the only one Itachi did not kill. His brother fled, leaving the blade behind, and Sasuke knew he was likely either dead or too mad to still be the brother he once knew. 

He took the blade in his hands, and heard its odious voice, whispering madness in his mind. But Sasuke was the master, and he swore then to destroy the blade, destroy the Goddess, destroy the world that cursed his family. That was how he met Orochimaru, prophet of the Dark Dragon, who promised him a way to break the cycle. 

“Have you found her?” Sasuke turned to the other man in the room, finally addressing him. 

“You were correct in your assumptions. But I cannot determine which one, none of them have shown the symptoms you described, my lord.” The man smiled, and Sasuke nodded.

“We’ll grab them both then. Return to your position, you don’t want to raise suspicions by being gone for too long, Sai.” 

“Of course, Sasuke-sama.”

Sasuke was glad to be alone once his spy left. Everything was proceeding according to his plan, all he had to do was wait, and he could finally bestow upon the world that flame of hatred that burned inside him.

* * *

 

 

Hinata admired the perfectly arranged tents in front of her, probably her cousin’s work. It had taken a lot of effort for her to be there, but she was still not allowed outside of the main pavilion. All she could do is watch him from afar, accompanying his process with concerned eyes.

Her marriage to Naruto had been delayed until after the war, by his own choice. Hinata did not let this deter her efforts, and she was already following Sakura’s excellent advice.

_ Take his ear and keep it. Don’t let anyone come between you two, make sure he always listens to you first. That’s what my mother did, that’s what you’ll have to do. _

“I’ve come to replace you. The captain sent me.”

Hinata watched a brown-haired woman, with two buns on her head replace the man that had been guarding her. Instead of staying back, the woman approached Hinata, until they were standing side by side, looking at the camp below.

“Watching the camp from up here, I can see why he’s so adamant about it. I’m Tenten, your cousin sent me here to protect you.” The female warrior grinned at Hinata, extending her hand in greeting.

Hinata looked at the woman at her side in surprise. She knew about Tenten, one of the few female soldiers Konoha had, but she was surprised that Neji would be so thoughtful as to send her to look after Hinata. The Hyuuga heiress took the hand offered to her, feeling out of place.

“Thank you. I was just looking at the camp, admiring how everything works so seamlessly. I’ve yet to see any signs of conflict…” Hinata said, returning her eyes to the camp below, wondering if perhaps in a different universe, she could be down there, surrounded by friends.

“That’s all Captain Neji. Since he took over, things have been improving a lot for everyone. He’s surprisingly thoughtful for a noble-born.” Tenten nodded, and Hinata felt happy that her cousin was respected by his soldiers.

“He had the best education the Hyuuga Clan had to offer.” Hinata smiled. At times she knew she was bitter towards her cousin, for having things she could only dream of, but if it meant that he could lead Konoha’s armies to victory, perhaps she could be proud of him.

The two women remained in silence for longer, until Hinata noticed carts heading away from the camp. Curious, she asked Tenten what they were for.

“Those are the body carts. They’re taking South men to a ditch down a hill further East.” Tenten pointed towards a mountain in the East, and Hinata was horrified at the images her brain came up with.

“Shouldn’t we return them? So their families can provide them with last rites?” Hinata asked, thinking of the mothers and wives that were behind each dead man.

“Sound doesn’t return the men that die on their borders. Why should we? I’m sorry Hinata-sama, but the world is not as kind as you.” Tenten shook her head, a small frown on her face. Hinata sent a silent prayer towards the men who had died in the war, hoping the Goddess would lead them to a better place.

The two women kept watching the carts, until suddenly something odd began to happen. Almost at once, all the carts stopped, and started shaking, as if a fight was breaking out on each one of them. The horses thrashed wildly, and birds began to fly in the sky, screeching warning cries.

Beside Hinata, Tenten stiffened, as men started shambling out of the now fallen carts, heading towards the encampment. On the distance, at the base of the mountain, a slow black shadow began to take shape, growing larger with each passing second.

A loud bell started to ring from someplace, and Tenten grabbed Hinata’s arm, pulling her away from the edge of the pavillion.

“We’re under attack, Hinata-sama, so you’ll have to follow me.” Tenten started pulling Hinata away from the group of men that were running towards the eastern side, and Hinata resisted.

“You’re considered one of the best soldiers we have, you need to be there to fight the invaders!” Hinata protested.

“Yeah well I’m in charge of protecting you.” Tenten put more force, dragging Hinata away, but the girl resisted, pulling back.

“Then I’m going there, and you’ll come with me and protect me.” Hinata pulled her arm away from Tenten’s grasp, running towards the same direction that the other men were heading. Behind her she heard a female growl of frustration and soon Tenten was running with her, keeping a wary eye on her surroundings.

Tenten directed her towards a wooden platform, where archers were shooting at the slow shambling men, and from their vantage point, the two women quickly noticed something terribly wrong.

“They’re not stopping…” Tenten whispered, as both women saw a man have his arm cut off, but still keep heading forwards. None of the soldiers held any weapons, attacking with teeth and nails.

“Aim for the heads! Separate them from their shoulders!” Hinata yelled out, mustering as much force as she could. From her vantage point she noticed that the decapitated bodies stopped moving. Around her, men looked up at her in surprise unsure of what to do.

“You heard her! Lop ‘em off! Let’s show these monsters what Fire men are made of!” Tenten yelled.

The soldiers sprung into action, and upon noticing their success, they started passing down Hinata’s order, and soon they started teaming up to take out the undead monstrosities.

“Go! Help them! I’ll be safe here.” Hinata ushered Tenten out.

“We’ll take care of her, Lieutenant.” The archers on the platform nodded and Tenten ran out, joining the fight.

It was a long and gruesome afternoon, and by the time the fight was over, the sun was bleeding the sky red. Dead men were littering the ground, and Hinata gingerly walked through the fallen bodies, trying to reach her target.

Naruto was standing with Neji and Tenten, surrounded by a large pile of decapitated bodies, his axe gleaming with blackened blood. The three turned to Hinata once she arrived, watching her with various degrees of curiosity.

“Tenten told us of your…” Neji looked unsure of what to say, and let his sentence trail off.

“Hinata-chan, how did you know?” Naruto’s voice was serious and his eyes were sharp, making Hinata uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

“I didn't. I was just standing by the archers and I saw that the bodies without heads stopped moving… I… What happened?” Hinata answered uncomfortably, unused to being the center of everyone's attention. 

“I have no idea.” Naruto whispered, staring up at the reddened sky. 

* * *

 

 

“Why are you here? This is a simple dinner to celebrate the birth of the Clan’s new heir. Not really your usual affair.” Konan looked at her trip companions suspiciously, wondering about their potential intent. 

“I am usually present at these, I don't know why you disagree, Konan-san.” Her first traveling companion, Itachi answered in an amused tone, garnering a glare from the blue-haired woman. 

“I don't mean you.” She shifted her glare to her second travel companion, Sasori. 

“This celebration interests me.” He answered stoically. Konan sighed, wondering why he had chosen to stay in the North when his true allegiance was so obvious. 

“Are you sure you're interested in this celebration, Sasori-san?” Konan smiled at the man, knowing what was going on in his mind. 

The young chief of one of the most important clans in the North had his first child a few days past and he was throwing a banquet in celebration. As Lady of the North, Konan's attendance was mandatory, and she was frequently accompanied by Itachi. What was unusual was the presence of Sasori, who never attended one before.

Konan had a pretty good idea over what motivated the reclusive redhead to go with her, and it involved the woman she met in Konoha, Sakura. She was certain that Sasori wanted information on the girl who married his young brother, and was looking to get it from her.

The three were traveling on horseback, and were but a couple hours out when Konan decided to humor Sasori. 

“Sakura-hime is quite beautiful. Even Nagato thought so, and he's not the type of person who notices that. I was impressed with her diplomatic skills as well, since she managed to hold a conversation with him for a while.” Konan spoke, addressing both of them, but sending a smirk Sasori's way, knowing he was listening. 

“Really? I met her at a party once, when she was still a little girl.” Itachi remembered meeting her at a gathering once, and being impressed by her attention to proper etiquette, something his brother had struggled with a lot at the time. “I do believe that my mother wished for one of us to wed the girl one day. For politics of course.”

Konan nodded, familiar with the traditions of marrying for alliances. She had always been grateful that had not been the fate bestowed upon her, who was able to marry for love. 

“She must have had the best education Konoha had to offer.” She saw it in everything Sakura did and said, for the woman had never once made any mistakes. It had even annoyed her a couple times, thinking that nobody could be that perfect. “There was one odd thing… At one point she had a fainting spell, completely out of the blue. They said it was some type of flower allergy, but wouldn't someone grown in Konoha be immune to it?” Konan thought back to the odd accident, and how for a split second, she thought Sakura’s usually green eyes had turned a different shade of green, for a split second before she fell. 

“That's quite odd. I've never heard of Sakura-hime having any allergies.” Sasori said, finally joining the conversation. 

“Did you have her investigated before she married your brother?” Itachi asked, as Konan laughed. Sasori spurred his horse onward, separating himself from the two. 

“He probably did…” Konan snickered while Itachi nodded with a smirk. Ahead of them, Sasori powered on until he stopped. The two caught up to him, staring at the village below. 

“What happened here?” Itachi asked, all previous traces of amusement replaced by serious thought.

“A battle, obviously. But who would attack them in such a day?” Konan whispered, looking at the destroyed homes with a heavy heart. Houses were broken, fields seemed to have been burned and bodies were scattered across the fields and the village. 

“Nobody would dare attack them. The whole clan would have been here, nobody but Pein-sama could have caused this one-sided defeat.” Sasori added his own observations. Itachi nodded, agreeing with his assessment. 

“We have to see if there are any survivors…” Konan turned back to the road, spurring her horse to a faster pace, still keeping an eye on the village ahead. Itachi and Sasori followed her. 

As soon as they made it to the gates, the three stopped, taking in the gruesome sight. The victims were spread all across the village, strewn across the ground with no care. 

“This is odd.” Sasori had left his horse leaning down to look at the corpse of a woman. “Itachi there's no weapon marks… This woman was bitten to death. What sort of creature did this?” Sasori pointed at the marks littering the woman's neck and shoulder. 

“I don't know, these marks are too small to belong to a beast. They almost look…” Itachi didn't get to finish his sentence before being interrupted by Konan, who had a very pale look in her face. 

“We need to burn them all. Now.” She ordered in a weak tone. The two men looked at their leader with surprised looks. Konan had never shown fear before them, not even when witnessing the slaughter of entire clans by her husband, but now she looked absolutely terrified. 

“Konan-sama I agree that they deserve proper rites, but we should first investigate what caused this.” Sasori countered, his mind focusing on which clan could have caused such a thing, as his spies hadn't reported anything to him. 

Just as he had finished speaking, the woman he had been analyzing grabbed his leg, causing a chill to run up his spine. Around them, all the victims started to slowly rise up, the corpses shambling towards them. Quickly withdrawing his sword, he dispassionately cut off her arm. It did not seem to deter the female, who started to crawl towards him with her other arm. 

“Itachi we need to burn this place to the ground, none of them can get away!” Konan had joined the two, trying her best to remain calm.

“Very well, Sasori-san, do you think you can group them up?” Itachi remained as cool as ever, soothing Konan slightly. 

“Of course.” Releasing the scrolls that were bound to his back, an army of puppets came to life, under the control of Sasori himself. In just a few minutes he had managed to contain all the undead in a circle by the city center. They clawed and bit his puppets, but found the hard wood and steel would not break. 

Once they were all grouped up, Itachi released his own special technique, a massive fireball that set the whole village on fire. The three stood by the edge of the flames, listening to the wailing of the ghouls and the frightened screeches of their horses. 

“We need to return to Ame now. We must join the war, we can't stand by any longer.” Konan spoke. 

“You seemed like you knew these things. Care to enlighten us?” Itachi asked Konan, who nodded. 

In her small clan, a tale had been passed down from generation to generation, of a warning given to them by the Goddess, a tale of the end, a story that began when the dead were no longer at peace, for the Dark Dragon enslaved them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With but a few chapters left, we're finally at the end. I'm not very good at writing combat scenes, but I'll do my best in the upcoming chapters to reflect the magnitude of what's to come. Thank you all for reading and please look forward to another chapter next week.


	20. A Princess' Fate

Sakura walked past the busy men, heading towards the center of the Camp. The Camp was the result of the combined efforts of East, West and North, to resist the horrors brought upon them by the servants of the Dark Dragon. 

It began when Pein summoned both Gaara and Naruto to a specific  location, the middle ground between North, West and East. There, they found Northerners setting up tents, stacking food and sharpening weapons, readying themselves to join the war. There, Pein announced his forces would help them, and there they began the creation of the Camp. It united the best of all three nations, and due to Sakura, Hinata and Konan’s influence, there were no divisions. Konoha nobles shared tents with Northern clan members and Eastern soldiers. At first, a lot of conflict arose due to so many different people being forced to cohabitate, but the hardships of battle began to forge bonds of trust and companionship that the world had not seen in a very long time.

Since the day the dead rose, Sakura had started feeling sick, a perpetual nausea that never left her. Her first thought had been pregnancy, but a quick check up told her that she was not with child, and Sakura kept it a secret, along with her visions, who were happening more and more frequently.

She had tried to find Tsunade, but even though she was now among Westerners, Northerners and Southerners, nobody could tell her where she was, and Sakura was left to suffer alone.

“Sakura-hime, you’re just in time!” Nakia, who was posted by the large tent that was serving as the main meeting hall saluted Sakura, allowing her entrance. Sakura smiled at her as she walked by, but her smile quickly died when she saw she was the last one to arrive.

Standing around a circular table was Naruto, Hinata, Konan, Pein, and Gaara, all of them looking to two men that Sakura had never met before, but had heard of. Taking her place at Gaara’s side, she first looked at the man who was technically also a member of her family, Sasori. 

He was remarkably similar to Gaara, with the same unruly red hair, and the same short stature. The main difference were the eyes. Where Gaara’s eyes were a steadfast jade, Sasori’s eyes were a dull hazel, and Sakura thought that she preferred her husband’s eyes, for they seemed to have life in them. Sasori made her think of a human doll. Next to him was Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke’s older brother. His coal eyes also looked soulless, and Sakura wondered if perhaps he had suffered a fate similar to Sasori’s.

“Now that we’re all here, perhaps it is time we begin.” Pein broke the silence. Sakura thought that it was interesting how there seemed to be a unspoken chain of hierarchy between Pein, Gaara and Naruto, the younger two clearly respecting Pein. At first she had thought him cold, but seeing him spearhead the creation of the Camp, and watching him lead men to battle, she couldn’t deny that he was charismatic, and men followed him.

“As you all know, I am Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke’s older brother.” Itachi began, politely nodding to all present. “I believe I have a slight idea of what my brother is doing, and who is guiding him. Perhaps some of you may have heard of a man named Orochimaru? He calls himself an acolyte of the Dark Dragon, and he was the one that performed the undeath ritual, our current cause of concern.”

“Is there any way to undo it?” Naruto asked, and Sasori nodded.

“According to my spy in Orochimaru’s inner circle, he has used his own soul as a sacrifice to perform the ritual. All we need to do is kill the snake.” Sasori replied. Sakura thought that sounded a little too easy to be true.

“But what of the Dark Dragon’s return? Do we have any information on that end?” Hinata asked, and Sakura tried not to smile. She had been very impressed on how Hinata had began speaking up at meetings, being unashamed to ask questions and provide opinions.

“My own man is looking into it, but the Uchiha is keeping his plans very secret.” Gaara replied. Sakura didn’t know who he had working under Sasuke, and even though she had asked, he had refused to answer.

“What we should do is focus on the acolyte for now. Orochimaru does not stay at Sound’s capital. We should mount a strong elite force to overpower his own guard and murder him. With the undeath curse out of the way, pushing into Sound to take over the capital should be easy.” Pein spoke, and the others nodded their agreement. Something inside Sakura was telling her that it was a bad plan, but she could not come up with a logical reason to go against it, and decided to stay quiet.

“One final thing. Kabuto, my spy says that both Orochimaru and Sasuke have been searching for the Blood of the Goddess. I have looked into it, but I could not determine if it is a relic or a person.” Sasori spoke. Across the table, Sakura could feel Naruto’s eyes on her, and she met them, hoping he’d understand her plea to speak nothing of Konoha’s royal bloodline. Things that were spoken could be heard, and she did not want anyone to have this knowledge.

“From my studies, the Sacred Castle’s table can be used to find the Blood of the Goddess. Perhaps raiding Orochimaru’s lair may result in further clarification.” Itachi spoke smoothly.

“Then we’ll send a team out first thing tomorrow. A small squad, of two soldiers from each nation should be sufficient.” Gaara spoke, and with everyone’s agreement, the meeting was called to a close. 

The men stayed to discuss who would take part on the mission, and Sakura chose to head out, hoping that some fresh air would do her good. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing from the South, carrying only the smell of smoke. They had quickly learned to burn corpses before they could reanimate, following Suna’s tradition. Allies and enemies both were burned, for the undeath curse reanimated all who were dead in combat.

“Sakura-san.” Konan called out to Sakura, and the Kazehime stopped, looking behind to see the Amehime and the future Hohime looking to join her. Once the three of them stood together, Sakura forced a smile, hoping to look cheerful.

“Are you alright, Sakura-san? You’ve been growing paler with each day…” Hinata spoke, worried for her future sister.

“I’m afraid I am not one of strong constitution, and being so far from the comforts of home is taking a toll on me…”

Sakura blinked and she was no longer at the camp, standing in a hill, looking over a burning field. The sun was bright, but the world was cast in shadow, a large black dragon sprawling across the field, beneath her, fixing her with an evil purple look.

**_Soon._ **

Sakura screamed in pain, and was startled to find herself in her own tent, sweating cold, nausea piling up to a point she could no longer resist. She turned over and emptied her stomach on a bucket she had been keeping there. It had not been the first time she had seen him, but he had only appeared in her dreams, never her waking hours.

Someone’s hand held her hair back, and another hand gently rubbed her back. They were larger than Ino’s and much warmer too. Sakura knew them very well. Once she was done, she reached for a glass of water, and found a tendril of sand holding it for her.

“Thank you.” She muttered into the cup, avoiding Gaara’s concerned look.

“Sakura, is there something you want to tell me? Perhaps why you’ve been sick, why you’re waking up in the middle of the night crying?” He asked in a kind tone, and Sakura hated herself for keeping things from him. “I understand this is a hard time for all of us, but… A child would be good news, even in these troubled days.”

Hearing his hopeful tone broke Sakura’s heart in two, and she cursed the Goddess’ Blood that beat inside her. Breaking into tears, Sakura cried, hiding her face in her hands.

“I wish it was a child. The first thing I did was to look for a medic, but instead of being blessed with happiness, I’ve been cursed. I was cursed since birth to this fate, my love…” Sakura’s voice cracked, just as her strength had. Gaara took her in his arms, offering her comfort. “I’m the Blood of the Goddess, and it’s making me sick.”

“Ouka, what…” Gaara’s tone was disappointed and sad, and Sakura could not blame him for it. She cried for what felt like hours, completely wetting his shoulder, holding on to him for warmth and comfort. It was only once her tears had dried out that she pulled away, so she could look into his jade eyes, that looked like they were in more pain than she felt.

“Konoha’s royal line, it comes directly from the Goddess. Every woman, once they reach a certain age, they start having visions of ages past, memories of the Goddess. I’ve started having them after our wedding, and they’ve only gotten more frequent as time goes by. Recently I’ve started seeing the Dark Dragon too. He haunts my nightmares, and today he haunted my waking hours too…” Sakura explained. She hoped he’d believe her, and he looked serious about it, giving her hope.

“So you’re the Blood of the Goddess…” He whispered and Sakura nodded. Gaara reached into his pocket, pulling something out of it, a small glass marble hanging by a thing golden chain. “It took me a while, but this glass comes from my sand, and there’s more of it inside. Keep it with you at all times, and I’ll always know where you are, Ouka. No matter what may come to pass, I  _ will _ protect you.”

“You’re just like him…” Sakura smiled tearfully. “Your ancestor, he said the same thing to me, centuries ago…” She slipped the necklace on, letting the marble rest near her heart. Gaara smiled, kissing her once before suddenly getting up, breaking their moment.

“We’re under attack. A huge number…” He said, completely changing from loving husband to war general. Just as he said that, the bell signalling an attack rang, and Gaara walked towards the exit of Sakura’s tent. “Go join the others.” He said and Sakura nodded, getting out of her cot and slipping her shoes on.

Together the two of them ran out, stopping at the first intersection. Gaara looked at her painfully, and she knew he didn’t want to leave her alone, but battle called.

“Stay safe.” She gave him a quick peck, and he nodded, turning around and heading towards the sounds of battle. Sakura went the other way, where she knew Hinata and Konan were gathered.

Konan and Hinata were there with Temari and Tenten, staying by the fortified castle that belonged to Konoha. From there, they could barely see the battle, even less hear the sounds of it.

“Sakura! Should you even be running around? You fainted just earlier today!” Temari pulled her close, eyeing Sakura critically.

“I’m fine, really!” Sakura replied, feeling better after opening up to Gaara.

“No, you’re not.” A cold voice rang behind them all. Uchiha Sasuke sat at the open window, smirking coldly at the women gathered there. Temari and Tenten quickly moved in front of the three noblewomen, assuming battle positions. “I came for the two from Konoha. If you three could all go cry in a different corner, that would be quite wonderful.”

“You’re not getting out of here alive, Uchiha.” Temari growled, opening her large fan. Sakura wanted to tell him to take her and leave the others alone, but found herself incapable of controlling her body.

_ You won’t tell him! _

A loud voice echoed inside Sakura’s mind, and she knew exactly who it was. The Goddess herself, finally awoken.

_ We cannot let him complete the ritual! _

The Goddess exercised her power over Sakura, keeping her frozen in place as Sasuke attacked the two warriors. They couldn’t resist his strength, empowered by the onyx blade, and he quickly left them bleeding out on the ground. Knowing she was the only one who could save them, Sakura used all of her strength to break free from the hold she was in, running to the fallen women.

Hands glowing green, she approached Temari first, who was in a much worse position, closing her wounds, and saving her life. Once she was certain Temari would live, she turned to Tenten, making quick work of her injuries. 

“Ah, found you.” The tip of a black blade rested on Sakura’s neck, and she was forced to stop her ministrations. She hadn’t been able to fully restore Tenten’s injury, and she sent her a silent apology, for she’d likely have a scar for life.

“I’ll go with you, just don’t harm them.” Sakura spoke, making eye contact with Konan and Hinata, hoping they wouldn’t try anything that would put their lives in danger. Sasuke smirked cruelly, but before he could do anything, Sai appeared, kneeling in front of South’s leader. Sakura couldn’t keep the betrayed look out of her face, glaring at him.

“It seems our men aren’t holding up as long as we believed. We have to go now, Sasuke-sama.” He said in a low tone.

“Well, it looks like your friends will be spared after all, Goddess.” Sasuke spat. He hit Sakura with the hilt of his sword, and her world went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up! The next chapter will be the final confrontation, following by an epilogue to round things up. It has been a great joy to share this with all of you and I look forward to seeing you all again in these final moments!


	21. The Dark Ritual

When Sakura woke up she was lying down in a cold hard floor, and she took a second to remember how she had come to this position.

_ Stupid girl! You revealed us! The world will burn and it’s all your fault! _

Sakura groaned, sitting up. She looked around and found herself in the conference room of the Ancient Castle, by the round stone table. It was dark, the only light source being a candle in the corner.

“Finally up? Took your sweet time.” 

Turning around she spotted Sasuke, standing by South’s door, looking at her in a expressionless manner. He was holding the Onyx Blade on its sheath, and Sakura gave up on escape. She could use chakra for some combat, but she could never compete with a Holy Weapon.

“Why are you doing this? Aren’t you a chosen one?” Sakura asked him, feeling eerily calm. She did not know if it was The Goddess’ influence on her, but Sakura had never felt calmer before in her life.

“Chosen one… What a joke. Did you do this on purpose, Goddess? Locking away his four most powerful servants on each weapon, and then handing them to us for safekeeping?  Your perverse way of determining the worthy ones?” Sasuke walked closer, kneeling to her eye level, and she saw only hatred in his eyes.

“I did what had to be done to save the world.” The Goddess took over Sakura’s body again, and she could do nothing but be a unwilling spectator of the drama that was about to play.

“Did you save the world? Or did you simply create more monsters? Konoha’s patriarchal regime, North’s warring tribes, West’s nomads and South’s greed. No, you only made us worse. My family refused to breed with anyone not of Uchiha blood. Gotta keep it in the family… Your curse destroyed my family! Killed my brother!” Sasuke growled.

“It is not my fault humans can be weak. Look at yourself, you could lead them to good, yet you lead them astray.” The Goddess answered his accusations. 

“I am not leading them astray. I will bring about a new age! No more weapons! No more Goddess!” Sasuke yelled out. Sakura was scared of him, but the Goddess did not even flinch.

“That is not the way, Sasuke.”

Behind Sasuke another shadow appeared, a taller one. He stepped into the small light of the candle, and Sakura was surprised to see Itachi. Her surprise didn’t compare to the look of complete shock in Sasuke’s face, who even let the blade go, clanking loudly to the ground.

“Nii-san… Are you a ghost?” Sasuke rose up, tentatively approaching his brother, all of his menacing aura gone, replaced by a scared boy.

“I am very much alive.” Itachi flicked Sasuke’s forehead with a smile, and Sasuke embraced his brother. Sakura felt happy for them, but The Goddess remained cold and detached, watching the scene without interest.

“How… They told me you were gone!” Sasuke asked, looking at his brother with an admiring smile.

“I was lost, but I found myself. I’m not the only one either. Others who have been driven insane have found themselves. Stop this quest for revenge, brother.” Itachi spoke and Sasuke nodded, charmed by his brother’s words.

“I’m afraid it’sss not that easssy Itachi-ssssan.” 

As if he had materialized from the shadow next to her, a tall thin man, covered in purple tattoos appeared, and grabbing the blade dropped by Sasuke, sliced Sakura’s arm, her blood flying everywhere.

“No!” The Goddess yelled, but it was too late. A droplet had already fallen upon the table, and the ground beneath them started to shake.

The shaking only intensified, and Sakura had to wrestle control of her body back, for The Goddess did not seem interested in moving from her spot. She ran towards the two siblings, but a large rock fell from the sky, blocking her path. Next to her, a chasm opened in the ground, purple mist erupting from it. Orochimaru threw himself in it, laughing maniacally as he fell. Sakura stumbled away from it, trying to find a way out, but seeing herself surrounded by debris, could do nothing but fear being swallowed up.

A blue beam of light pierced the rocks behind her, opening a passageway. She looked at the newly formed tunnel and saw Pein on the other side, motioning for her. Sakura ran, keeping her head down, hoping it would hold up enough for her to get out.  Right as she stumbled out, a large roar shook the earth again, and the ancient castle crumbled upon itself completely, leaving only the now gaping black scar on the land.

Just as in her visions, a large dragon flew up into the night sky, and he was so large he completely hid the moon and the stars, casting darkness upon the land. Sakura’s heart was heavy with grief and fear, and even The Goddess seemed afraid. She thought the entire world had been plunged into darkness when four lights started to shine.

The first one was a golden red, coming from Sakura’s right. The second one was sparkling green, and it was in front of her. The third one was clear blue, originating to her left. Turning around Sakura saw a silvery white, standing behind her. The Goddess filled Sakura’s heart with hope upon seeing those lights, and soon they were bright enough that Sakura could see them for what they were, the four heroes, and the four weapons, ready to stand against eternal darkness.

Sakura ran to Gaara, and he embraced her.

"Are you alright, ouka?” Gaara kept his eyes fixed on the dark figure on the sky, keeping one hand on his bow and the other around Sakura’s figure.

“Somehow…”

_ This is the hero you’ve chosen? Never, in all the times I’ve been reborn inside one of you, has the bow been chosen as the Guardian… _

“Sakura, stay here. This is our fight.” Gaara spoke. He planted a kiss on her forehead before letting her go and joining the three others. The dragon landed a small distance away, twin purple eyes gleaming with malice.

“Please stay safe…” Sakura whispered, but there was nobody there to hear her prayer.

Sakura stood atop a hill, watching the fight in the burning field. The Dark Dragon was a formidable foe, of endless power. Inside her The Goddess prayed, using Sakura’s life force to strengthen the heroes below. Sakura also prayed, keeping her eyes fixed on the reddish light that belonged to Gaara’s bow. He didn’t move much, but he lit up the sky, raining arrows and fire upon the dragon in front of him. The other heroes ran around the dragon, attacking with all sorts of powerful strikes.

_ We can’t defeat him. He’s too strong. _

Have faith in them, Sakura thought. If The Goddess doubted them, there was no way they could ever win.

_ You have to be prepared for what comes next. There is only one way to truly defeat him, and it requires a sacrifice. _

No. I won’t do it, Sakura thought. Since the Dragon’s awakening, her connection to the Goddess had become stronger, the two of them completely sharing each other’s thoughts, emotions and memories. Sakura had seen what happened the first time, she saw how the Goddess used her own life to end his own, and she refused to believe that would happen again.  I don’t want to leave him! I love him! Sakura begged.

_ I once loved him too…  _

Sakura felt the love the Goddess held for the first owner of the Emerald Axe, and how she had bore him a child, before the end. It was a weird feeling, to see her progenitor being born, and to love her as a mother would. There has to be something else, another source of power and strength we can use, Sakura thought.

She scoured the memories that belonged to the Goddess, going as far as the creation of the world. Sakura saw the first humans, and how perfect life had been before his arrival. She watched him start to consume the world, and felt herself being ripped apart when she created the weapons.

They are part of us, Sakura exclaimed in her mind, seeing how the four weapons had been her first four children, turned into weapons for the sake of the war. How could you do this to them? Sakura thought angrily.

_ I had to. They chose this path. _

Each weapon had been forged using the body of each child and the soul of the four Dragons that had appeared with the Dark Dragon. They were artifacts of great strength, the only things that could harm the Lord of Darkness. What if… 

_ No! _

What if we used them? We use their power to destroy him completely! A plan started to form in Sakura’s head, and the Goddess resisted it.

_ You need them to protect humanity! To preserve peace! Keep the Ancient Treaty! _

We don’t need them! Humanity is strong enough to save itself! The weapons have only served to keep us apart, keep us isolated from each other! Sakura threw her memories at the Goddess, showing her how she had achieved peace through marriage and friendship, showing her the Camp, created by three nations, showing her how isolationism led to Orochimaru’s power.

_ But how… _

We cannot rely on ancient powers to save ourselves. We need to be strong enough to make our own destiny! Using the Goddess’ link to the weapons, Sakura reached out to the four heroes, linking herself to their weapons. She told them her plan, what needed to be done, and they agreed.

_ Silly girl, you’ve doomed humanity. _

Ignoring her completely, Sakura ran down the hill, throwing herself into the fight. The good thing about being The Goddess awakened was her access to her powers, which Sakura decided to use. She would not hide behind her champions, she was ready to fight with them, bleed with them, even die with them.

“Sakura!” Naruto had been the one closest to her, and he was her first target. Sending a beam of light his way, Sakura healed his wounds, restoring his strength. From there she made her way to Pein, and then Sasuke, leaving Gaara for last.

He had not moved from his post, and she quickly saw why. He was protecting a wounded Sai, who was clutching his bleeding abdomen.

_ He was the one who betrayed you. _

“Ugly, I’m glad to see you safe.” Sai coughed up blood. “As soon as he took you, I ran to Gaara-sama, blowing my cover. This is my reward. Turns out Orochimaru had an eye on me the whole time…” 

He never betrayed us, Sakura thought, realizing who had been Gaara’s very secret spy. Taking pity on him, Sakura healed him, using the powers of the reluctant Goddess, who had not forgiven Sai.

“Ouka…” Gaara had seen the whole interaction, surprised to see his Sakura so different.

“Gaara. I have come to stand beside you, until the end.” Sakura smiled, ignoring the exasperated Goddess inside her.

A large roar sounded near them, and they saw Naruto, atop the Dragon’s back, hacking away at his neck with his axe. On the back, Sasuke targeted the tail, while Pein held the front. Gaara returned his focus to the fight ahead of him, peppering his wings with his arrows.

“You all need to weaken him more!” Sakura yelled, sending out her own tendrils of energy, bolstering the four heroes. Empowered by the Goddess’ Light, Naruto managed to strike a deadly blow, severely weakening the Dragon, who started to attempt to take flight.

“Don’t let him escape!” Pein yelled, throwing his spear into one of the open wings. Sasuke jumped, slicing the other one, purple blood raining on them.

Gaara’s sand flew towards the Dragon, encapsulating him. Naruto released his own technique, making a hundred clones of himself, all working together to hold the dragon down. Out of nowhere, large black spikes fell from the sky, impaling the dragon’s claws, pinning him to the ground.

_ You’ve all grown so strong… _

“Join up on me!” Sakura called out, and the four heroes quickly surrounded her. “I’m going to need to take your weapons, so I can completely end him.” She spoke. The first one to throw his blade at her feet was Sasuke, who had always hated his burden. Naruto and Gaara soon followed, only Pein still holding on to his.

“This will change everything.” He said, and Sakura nodded. The Dragon roared again, making another attempt at freedom and Pein placed his own weapon upon Sakura’s feet.

_ If this is your choice, I have no other option… _

Closing her eyes according to the Goddess’ instructions, Sakura focused on the weapons in front of her, finding their cores, calling to them. Each weapon rose up around her, transforming into the gem that named them. Sakura opened her hands, two gems on each palm, and facing the Dragon, she looked him in the eye.

“The time of Gods and Dragons is now over.”

In a burst of white light, each one of the four gems flew towards the Dragon’s open mouth, entering him. For a dark breath, everything was still, but suddenly the Dragon roared in pain, a loud cry that caused all to fall to their knees. Light burst from his wounds, chasing away the darkness, to a point where no one could even open their eyes.

The Dragon’s cries lasted almost a minute, but suddenly they were gone. Opening her eyes, Sakura looked ahead, where a Dark Dragon once stood. Now there was nothing there, just Pein’s metal and Gaara’s sand, no trace of Dragon or Jewels.

We did it! Sakura cheered in her head, but found no response. The Goddess was also gone, having used the last of her power to strengthen the gems, so they could destroy the dragon. Nothing of her remained in Sakura, just old memories that were already fading away.

“Oh yeah we did it!” Naruto’s loud voice echoed in the silent plain.

Sakura smiled at the five men there. Sasuke, Naruto, Pein, Sai and Gaara, all of them looking happy. She looked up at the sky, seeing the sun in blue, with white clouds flying about.

“Yes, our future starts now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came out earlier due to real life keeping my busy this weekend, which is my usual upload schedule. I'm sure nobody will complain though! Next chapter is the final one, an epilogue to talk about the future and tie up a few loose ends. Once again thank you all for accompanying me on this journey, and I hope that you've all enjoyed it as much as I have.


	22. Epilogue

“I can’t believe he held an actual election, just to get himself chosen in the end.  What was even the point?” A blonde man stood next to a smiling dark haired woman, standing in a wide room, filled with different people, all of them wearing colorful garments of several shapes and sizes, mingling in the wide open halls of Konoha's castle.

“It’s not very different from what we did at home, Naruto-kun.” The woman’s smile was kind, and she placed a gentle hand on her protruding belly. 

“Yeah, we needed to change a lot. I can’t believe I never knew that girls didn’t have the right to learn to read and write. In many ways I was the worst leader ever. Our children will grow up in a better place, Hinata-chan.” Naruto placed his hand atop his wife’s own. He was hoping the baby growing inside her was a woman, so Konoha could have its very first queen.

The sound of a tinkling glass echoed throughout the room, and everyone directed their attention to the pink-haired woman, who was holding her glass up.

“A year ago, the world changed forever. We got rid of the chains of the past, to enter a new age, free from old curses and traditions. Since then our world has seen many changes. From leadership…” She motioned towards the two Uchiha siblings sitting at a table. “To customs.” She smiled at Naruto and Hinata. “But today we have realized our biggest achievement yet, the foundation of the United Council. May the future hold peace and happiness for us all.” Sakura finished and everyone clapped excitedly.

The United Council had been her idea, a group of eight people, a man and a woman from each Nation, whose goal was to preserve peace and to strengthen bonds between each nation. It's base would be built upon the ruins of the old ancient castle, in a piece of land that belonged to no nation, in order to further support its apolitical nature. Sakura had the support of everyone, and they were having their celebratory meeting. The new castle had just been built, ambassadors had been chosen and all that was left was to celebrate. She was still one half of Suna’s leadership, but now Sakura was no longer a princess, but a First Lady. Gaara’s first act after the war had been to hold elections, but he was elected anyways, much to his own sadness, for he had hoped to be done with paperwork.

Naruto and Hinata had made many changes to Konoha’s laws, abolishing old monarchical customs, and promoting equality between genders. Hearing about Hinata kicking her own father out of the council had been Sakura’s great amusement.They had since installed a universal schooling system and hefty discrimination laws, and many of Konoha's women were opening shops, taking lessons and helping change the once patriarchal country.  


Sasuke had renounced his own throne, acknowledging he was not a great leader, and after a season of civil turmoil, Itachi took the throne, and he was working hard at rebuilding the country after the war. South was still rebuilding lost ties and breaking old prejudices, the once xenophobic nation learning to live with their neighbors.  


Pein’s North was the least changed, the warring clans still keeping their independence, under his rule. However, due to Konan’s efforts, the North was no longer as isolationist as once before, several treaties having been signed since then.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine?” Gaara asked his eldest brother, Suna’s male representative for the Council of Nations.

“Nakia is loud, but she’s not as loud as your kid. It’ll be nice.” Sasori smirked at his youngest brother.

“She’s a baby, it’s obvious that she’s going to keep everyone up all night. You just needed to move out like Temari and Shikamaru did.” Sakura replied, joining the two siblings’ conversation. “Speaking of which, they didn’t come because she’s waiting a second one. I'm so happy for the two.” Sakura smiled.

“That pesky brat.” Sasori grumbled. Sakura’s laugh tinkled, and everyone around her smiled.

“Sasori.” Pein and Konan joined their conversation circle. “Are you certain you do not wish to return to us?” Pein asked Sasori. Once the war ended, Gaara had officially overturned the council to allow Sasori to return home to his family. His return was met with joy by everyone, especially his youngest brother. 

“I thank you for the hospitality you've shown me, but Wind is truly my home.” Sasori bowed. 

“Deidara’s been so sad, there's nobody to argue with him anymore.” Konan smiled. 

“It's so annoying to have him mope around the palace that I've assigned him as one of our representatives.” Pein nodded. Sasori sighed. He could already hear the loud blonde annoying him to pieces. 

Leaving Sasori to catch up with Konan and Pein, Gaara and Sakura headed out into the balcony, away from the others. They looked out to the verdant forests of Konoha, already missing their home and the child they left to the care of Ino and Sai. 

“I wonder how she's doing… Do you think she misses us?” Sakura asked, longing for her girl. 

“She's barely a year old, I'm sure she doesn't even know you're gone.” Gaara soothed her. “You could have brought her along, everyone loves her.” He grumbled, thinking that he'd have an arduous task of keeping boys away from her. 

The birth of baby Shiho was a great event, where you could find everyone that was someone. Naruto had cried, Tsunade fought Konan for godmother rights and even the two aloof Uchihas looked happy. Her birthday became a national holiday in Wind, Gaara’s first executive order as President, so that he could always be home for his daughter's birthday.

“Ouka, are you happy?” 

“The happiest I've ever been.”

With a bright smile, Sakura leaned into her husband, sharing in his warmth and presence. He placed his arm around her, holding her tight, a smile that rivaled her own in his face.

The tales of Sakura’s roles as the voice of the Goddess had spread far, and many people would go to Suna just to see her and hear her speak. At first it had upset her, since she was no longer the Godedess incarnate, but now she used it to her advantage, spreading words of kindness, tolerance and respect wherever she went.  


In the centuries since, this story was told and retold in many books, and Princess Sakura’s image was maintained, many little girls dreaming of her pink hair and emerald eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally over! Right in time for the holiday season too! I'd like to thank everyone who supported me and who left such wonderful comments that motivated me to work hard in making this the best tale I could. I hope that everyone has enjoyed it and that perhaps this story has helped others as much as it helped me. It's sad that I cannot ask you all to please look forward to another chapter next week as this is the last one, but I do leave you all with a request to please look after yourselves and your loved ones, for happiness is found within, and everyone is important to someone.
> 
> -Rinna


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